Real Life
by Babi
Summary: Sequel to Physical Attraction, Chemical Reaction. "Is that what I think it is?" Damon asked as he looked at the tiny pair of plain white handmade crochet booties shoes. She nodded but she was wrong.
1. Prologue

**Real Life**

**Prologue**

* * *

Reality is like the wind. Or what the wind used to be before weather broadcast technology. You don't know when the harmless and innocent breeze will bring the storm or when it'll change into a violent hurricane. The wind comes and goes and nobody ever knows from where or to where. Reality is the same. Sometimes the surprise is comforting, just like a cool breeze in an awfully hot day. Sometimes there's no surprise, you go through the day without even realizing the wind is there. Sometimes is just annoying and it keeps blowing your clothes and messing up your hair. But sometimes the wind becomes tragic, destructive and devastating. That's the beauty of life although many times there's nothing beautiful about the reality. One day you meet the love of your life in the most casual way. The next day you find yourself lying to them and maybe breaking for good what could have been amazing. But then another day passes and everything is fixed in the name of forgiveness and love. But what to expect next? A lot of things could happen, just like with the wind. Will the next day be just another chapter of routine – that despite unsurprising is still good? Or could it bring the most amazing news? It could be either way but it could also bring the most heartbreaking news. Damon and Elena were about to learn where the wind was headed in the new chapter of their lives.

"So when do you want to tell people?" he asked as they lie on her bed while he looked at the pair of crochet booties in his hands, still fascinated about it.

"Maybe we could travel to North Carolina and then Virginia over the weekend. Are you going to work this weekend?" she asked as she rested her head on his chest.

"I guess I'll only be able to make it next week. If you can't wait, you could call them."

"No, I want to break the news in person," she offered contently.

"Whatever you want, Kitten," he kissed her forehead and for the thousandth time since they moved to her bedroom he moved his hand under her dress and brought it up until it was resting against her flat stomach.

"Do you think Katherine could possibly know a good doctor to recommend to me?" Elena asked. She didn't know anyone who had had kids in New York. She was a little bit relaxed when it came to her own health and her last visit to the OB Gyn must have been two years ago if not longer and she hated the doctor.

"Definitely, that's exactly the area she's planning to specialize so I suppose she knows the names of the best obstetricians in the country"

"But do you think we should wait until we go there next week?"

"I suppose you're at most two months along while I don't know a lot about it I know there's something important about the first trimester that could be about to end. Maybe we should go to some doctor this week, do the preliminary exams and then ask for Kat some recommendation when we visit next week. What do you think?"

"It sounds perfect, I definitely can't wait two weeks to hear the heartbeat! I guess we can hear it already?"

"I have no idea when we got pregnant, Kitten. Thought you were on pill so except for the first all the others were unprotected," his answer although honest meant something totally different from what Elena thought. She was on the pill, she didn't know what went wrong but it was as if Damon was telling her he didn't expect to get pregnant. She didn't either. She did her part to avoid it but it seemed like nature had a different plan for them. She didn't say anything about it. She was quite aware of how fast this was. They had been together for two months and most of that time they spent apart because of her lie but she meant the promise she made on New Year's. She wouldn't remember what happened. It was forgiven and if she tried very hard it would be forgotten too.

But now she was pregnant while she and Damon were still getting to know each other on a deeper level. They were moving in together because of their baby and she wondered if it wasn't too much for him. She wondered if he wouldn't resent her or regret this decision but somehow that doubt faded away when she looked at his eyes. He was absolutely happy, mesmerized but the small life growing inside of her. She didn't question his love for her, he loved her and while it was too fast and probably too dangerous to skip so many steps, they loved each other and they were already in love with the life they created together.

"Do you think we'll have a boy?" she asked closing her eyes at the soft caress.

"Why? Do you?" he asked a little bit confused.

"Stefan has three boys, your father had two boys. I read somewhere that the father is the one responsible for gender definition," she explained as she let her thoughts wonder around more positive ideas. They were meant to be, that was how she felt. The circumstances under which they met each other and how their relationship evolved from there were enough to ensure they were meant to be.

"I don't know… I'd like to have a boy," he answered and she knew him well enough to know that there was more on his mind not because of his words but how they were almost reluctant as he spoke them.

"But?"

"I'd love to have a girl," he smiled thinking of a mini-Elena. That was definitely what he would love the most in the world. After her mother, surely.

She was quiet but content with his answer as she imagined how it would be to have little girl with her boyfriend.

"How about you?" he asked when she went quiet.

"I don't know. Lately when I thought about adopting for some reason I thought about adopting a girl but when I used to dream about getting pregnant, I always thought my first baby would be a boy," she honestly confessed. She really didn't know which she preferred. She'd be happy with both. She was sure both of them would look a lot like Damon. If even Stefan's kids looked like him she could only imagine how much his own kids would take after him.

"Maybe one of each?" he smirked.

"Twins? They're cute," she smiled as she turned her head up to look at him, his hand still caressing her belly.

"You'll look beautiful when your stomach shows," he changed the subject. He was going to buy a camera because he wanted to register her every day. He wanted to capture the glow on her face and the changes in her beautiful body. He remembered Katherine when she was pregnant. Stefan used to say his wife was never that beautiful and Damon used to agree. Katherine looked breathtaking during her four pregnancies. She was tiny just like Elena was and gaining some pounds flattered her, although she put on very few pounds. He didn't think Elena would be any different.

"I just hope I won't be too big. I like my small frame but if that's how it'll be, I won't care," she smiled showing how the idea of becoming a mother was probably the most important thing in her life and Damon was proud to know he was the one who helped her be that happy.

They talked for a little longer but soon Elena's almost unnoticeable snoring started. He supposed she was tired from the day's events. Poor girl had been sick more times than he could count while he was there for the smallest part of her day. But as his mind drifted Damon wondered about how fast everything between them was happening. While Elena had preferred to take a leap of faith, Damon was less confident. Being a man made him more rational even if he was more sensitive than the average guy. He was worried because their relationship was what he cherished the most but they had a lot going on in their lives.

Just the day before Rose let Elena know the European tour they talked about a couple of months ago wasn't cancelled but only postponed and would happen the week before Valentine's Day. There was the movie and it was demanding more and more of Damon's time. Producing a movie was definitely the most stressful and probably handful part and he just wished it was done already but he knew there was still a long way to go. They were starting to shoot the outdoor scenes and Elena had to play her part soon before she started showing. He even suggested that she drop the part, although it was small, but she refused saying she didn't want to become one of those pregnant women who never wanted to leave the house.

And then there was their relationship's pace. Finding out she was pregnant and deciding to move in together although were certainly part of the plans he had for them he didn't think it would happen so fast. He had said yes to her but leaving Los Angeles would be a bad move especially if the movie reached the success he hoped for. As much as New York was good for the business Los Angeles was the cinema's capital in the world. But maybe they didn't have to live in New York. Elena really considered moving to Mystic Falls and only gave up because she wanted to be with him, so maybe moving to LA wouldn't be something she minded.

Or maybe it would be because although they made great work to learn a lot about each other in so little time, they still hadn't had any of those important conversations as a couple. They didn't know each other's long term plans or dreams. Damon was aware Elena had wanted to become a mother soon but that was it. And for what he understood she wanted it because she didn't believe she would have a man with her and this way she would still have a family. But now she had him and she restored her dreams and she probably would want to have a baby more down on the road.

Thoughts similar to those populated his head for longer than he liked and he realized it was three in the morning and he wasn't the bit sleepy. The girl resting her head on his chest while she slept seemed absolutely peaceful in her sleep in and he found himself getting lost in that picture. She was his treasure and looking down at her partially exposed stomach he realized that no matter what his fears were, they created life together, they loved each other and they were both in this for the long haul. Those thoughts and the soothing sound of her soft snoring had been enough to calm him to sleep but they didn't go away completely.

* * *

The rest of their week was busy. Elena had used the free time apart from her boyfriend to keep writing her sequel. She knew the week in Europe in the following month would be time consuming and that once she was deeper in her pregnancy she didn't want to deal with the pressure of having to have a book written, let alone when their baby were there. She wanted to be done with it and it was good that she had a lot of good ideas that she was developing quite fast. Her entire book was already outlined and Rose loved the plots and arcs Elena came up with. Now all she was doing was filling in the blank spaces of her main ideas but as the following Monday approached she couldn't think of anything else but their baby. She did some research on the internet and got an appointment with an obstetrician that had been recommended by a lot of fellow pregnant women she found in an internet forum, Dr. Alex Karev – who happened to be Rose's brother. How much of a coincidence could that be? She had met Alex a time or two since she knew Rose and she knew he was a doctor but she didn't know or didn't remember his specialty. He was still very young, having finished his residency three years ago but still there were more than a dozen women saying he was the best gynecologist they had ever had. Also it was only a first appointment, to help her with her anxiety. They had already called Katherine and let her know they were going there in a few days and she couldn't wait until the doctor recommended her someone, especially if this someone had a busy schedule. Elena couldn't wait to 'meet' her baby and she could tell Damon was feeling as just excited. He had bought her every possible book about pregnancy, since the best-sellers to the new ones released on the marketing. He had also bought a couple of names books. They'd been reading it together and writing down the names they liked the meaning to make their job easier. They didn't want only a name they liked as Sarah, Ellen, Amanda, Jacob, Ryan and Philippe. They wanted something that was meaningful as much as their baby was. They wanted it to represent something beautiful and as each day passed the list grew bigger and bigger.

"Hello," he announced when he entered her penthouse late on Friday. Ever since finding out about her condition he had made an extra effort to arrive home as early as possible. But that night he didn't arrive after nine because of his job. On his way home he passed by a mall and he couldn't resist stopping by to do something he'd been crazy to do a few days.

Two hours later he was happy with his acquisition and couldn't wait to see what Elena would say about it.

"I'm at the bedroom," she yelled back and he could tell by her tone that she had a better day as she sounded cheery and excited.

Truth be told her sickness simply went away. It had been very intense the first days of the week but since the day before she hadn't been sick once. They were happy because she really hated it and he didn't want her to be upset about anything. That was like a dream coming true for both of them despite their insecurities about the timing and the speed it happened and they didn't want anything to ruin it for them.

"No more sickness since I called?" he asked as he approached the bed where she was reading one of the books he brought her. Damon made a routine of calling her whenever he had a break in the studio which some days was three or four times. She said he was being overprotective but he didn't care. He didn't like the idea of her being alone all day in the house and not having someone to call if something came out. Of course there was Caroline and even Rose but they didn't know about her pregnancy and even if they did, he wanted to know personally about how she was feeling.

"No, I'm quite good now," she smiled as he kissed her lips quickly and then moved to do the same to her stomach as he did every day since they found out. It automatically put a smile on her face and she was happier than she had even thought possible.

"I've got you something," he offered his irresistible grin and she felt her heart fluttering. He still had that effect on her, as expected at such an early stage in a relationship.

Handing her the beautiful wrapped box she opened it to reveal a beautiful white cotton and velvet sleeper. It had small puppies engraved on the chest, the velvet representing the fur. It was tiny, probably made for a newborn and Elena's eyes actually shimmered with tears as her hands touched gently the soft fabric.

"It's so beautiful, Dan," she looked back at him and he was just touched as she was.

"He or she will love it, I swear I never touched something as soft and smooth as this fabric," he thoughtfully added and discarding, carefully, the box and its contents on the nightstand she brought him closer and kissed him longingly and tenderly. They broke the contact and getting rid of his coat he soon joined her in the bed as she talked about the most interesting parts in the book she was reading.

"We're going to be parents," she offered.

"Yes, Elena, we're going to be a family. The happiest one," his features were soft and showed how blissful he felt.

"I love you so much," she whispered as she snuggled on his chest closing her eyes and breathing in the happiness he brought to her life.

"I love you, Baby, I love you more than I can say," he kissed her forehead and held the woman he loved while he caressed her stomach with an immense grin on his face.

* * *

_AN: here goes the sequel. I wanted to give some hints of what are the real life problems Elena and Damon are going to face in this time of their lives. I love Alex Karev, so I couldn't help but making him the doctor. _

_What do you guys think about it? Let me know. Thanks a lot to my beta, **May.**_

_xoxo_

_Babi  
_


	2. My Dreams Stayed In Dreamland

**Real Life**

**Chapter 1 - My Dreams Stayed in Dreamland **

* * *

As the days passed Damon felt more and more reassured about his relationship with Elena although the fears didn't go away completely. He was thankful that she had been so invested in the baby to notice that he was almost cautious about how fast they were moving and he wondered if inside she also felt the same. She didn't show. She was absolutely excited about everything. They read the books together when he arrived. She didn't read a lot during the day because she was really invested in her writing and she preferred to do it with him. They read to each other. Both read quietly and one waited for the other to finish the page before turning it. When they read something they liked they talked about it. There were many things they had no idea about, not even Damon who had some experience with pregnancies as he followed Katherine's closely every opportunity he had to travel to North Carolina.

They talked about almost everything and he was surprised Elena didn't bring up the nursery subject yet. He knew they were at an early stage of her pregnancy but they were already picking names, making researches on delivery classes for them to register and buying clothes, shoes, hats and everything the baby could wear. They had over twenty pieces and Elena didn't mind that all were unisex. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the sex of the baby anyway. Damon had no doubts about it, he wanted to know it as soon as possible. It might be the first question he would ask Dr. Karev.

"Good morning, Kitten," he greeted his girlfriend as she awoke on Sunday morning.

"Hey," her voice still hoarse from her sleep.

"So who wakes up first now, huh?" he showed his trademark smirk and she rolled her eyes. Actually she didn't feel more tired or sleepy. Maybe it was because they read until late the previous night and her system was just making up for the shorter amount of sleep she had that night.

"Pregnancy does it for you," she smiled and she pondered if she had slept enough. Her bed still looked very inviting.

"Well, you're lucky I don't have pregnancy symptoms and can actually wake up earlier and get you your favorites from Villa's," he offered as he joined her on the bed, kissing her for a few seconds and retreating back to be propped on his arm, looking tenderly at her.

"You spoil me so much. I wonder how spoiled this kid will be. I'll have to have two kids if I don't want our child to be a brat," she closed her eyes and covered them with her forearm.

"Thanks for being so reassuring about my parenting skills. I feel flattered," he quipped watching her and suddenly wondering if she was feeling well, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just not feeling up to leaving the bed yet. It's so good and comfortable and soft and… warm," she added with a small smile. She thought her bed never seemed too good as it was that morning.

"As I said before, you're lucky for having me, such an amazing, thoughtful and perfect boyfriend," he quickly pecked her cheek before jumping off of the bed and disappearing outside her bedroom. She didn't even have time to protest and she didn't want to protest.

Damon was a dream that came true. A dream she didn't even have anymore. They had their disagreements, like any other couple, especially in the early stages of living together, but he was an awesome partner. He was indeed amazing, thoughtful and perfect. But also caring, sexy, sensitive and everything else she could ask for. The way he took care of her was touching. It wasn't overboard, he seemed to have balanced it out, and it wasn't definitely sloppy. He just found a balance that made her feel cherished, appreciated, loved and pampered. She knew it was probably because they were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship but Damon was someone who loved to please the people he cared about. He took deep pleasure in taking care of her, just like she had seen him going to his nephews and even Katherine and Stefan.

That was a feeling she wasn't familiar with. Tyler had never been that type of guy. He enjoyed doing things with her but not as much for her. Damon also enjoyed spending quality time with her but even when they were just talking it seemed like he kept trying to please her, to do something for her. Whether it was sharing something about him or his stories with the kids, or just massaging her body while they talked, or making them some tea.

"You can't stop doing it, can you?" he asked as he re-entered the bedroom with a silver tray with plenty of food.

"Doing what?" she asked reluctantly moving her body upwards on the bed until she could sit and rest her back on the headboard.

"Thinking how great I am. I know it's hard not too but I'm going to take a picture sometime. The look on your face is just that expressive," he tilted his head to the side casually, braggingly, while he briefly closed his eyes as if he was stating the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh yeah, I can't stop thinking how delusional and arrogant you are. But I do hope someday you will wake up from your fantasy," she chuckled moving her eyes to the tray in his hands as he positioned it over her bed.

"You know you love me," he said as he took the fork and got a piece of pancakes on it before moving it towards her mouth. Elena closed her eyes as she tasted the perfect Villa's pancakes. She loved them. They were so perfect and melted in her mouth.

"Delicious," she moaned still savoring her favorite breakfast food.

"Now taste a bit of strawberry," he offered taking the small fruit to her mouth, this time using only his fingers to hold it for her to bite.

"Oh my God, that's superb!" she enthusiastically exclaimed after mixing the taste of chocolate from her pancakes with the acid taste from the strawberry.

"Mix with this," he suggested as he leaned down again to kiss her.

"Perfect," she whispered against his lips, before deepening the kiss.

"I was thinking we should ask Dr. Karev for a nutritionist recommendation," he offered as they broke the kiss.

"Why is that? Are you that afraid of me becoming a whale? Can't avoid it, Baby, so you have to deal" she asked and although her tone showed she was kidding he didn't want to lead her hormones roller coaster to show its signs any earlier than necessary… or than the unavoidable.

"No, Sassy, I already said you'll look absolutely beautiful during your pregnancy. But I remember Katherine cut a lot of things from her diet, including chocolate, because of the babies. It was never because of her weight. I guess we don't need to be as radical as she was. You saw how they eat in her house, I guess it's an obsession she has about healthy diets. But I think you should get an appointment to know what certain foods can cause you and the baby to be healthier. I want both of you to be as healthy as you can be," he explained as he turned his attention to the utensils in his hands in order to keep feeding her.

"I was already thinking about scheduling an appointment, Dan. I guess that's part of the protocol, to give me the vitamins and recommend someone to take care of my diet," she added as she chewed the pancake he put in her mouth.

"I suppose today is going to be the longest day ever," Damon added now alternating between feeding her and himself.

"I know the feeling. The whole week was busy and quick but yesterday felt like another week," she took a strawberry and ate, enjoying her favorite combination: chocolate and strawberry. But even as she savored her food Damon caught the nerves in her voice.

"Are you nervous about it?" he asked. They'd been so focused about the things they were buying, discovering and planning but he never asked how she felt about the appointment, about being pregnant. Ever since her morning sickness stopped he didn't ask how she felt.

"Jittery," she answered but Damon didn't buy it because she avoided his eyes.

"Want to try again?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Anxiety?" she smiled weakly and letting go of the food she took a deep breath.

"You can talk to me, Elena. I don't want you to stuff anything in. You can open up to me. You can tell me your fears, your anxiety, what you're feeling physically or emotionally, I'm here for you for everything, just like always. Probably more than ever," he rested his hand on her thigh with a reassuring look on his face.

"It's just that I have this feeling. It's not a good feeling but I don't know what it is. What if something is wrong with the baby?" she asked and he could see the fear in her eyes like he had never seen before. He had seen fear in her eyes before. Fear of getting involved, fear of not being forgiven by him or by herself, fear of starting a relationship. Somehow those fears were gone from her eyes since their new year's resolution. He was proud of her to know she was trying. But he didn't catch any fear about the baby until now and when she said those words he could see that she was almost horrified about that possibility. He even found himself being afraid because of her fear for it was very prominent.

"There's no reason for something to be wrong, Elena. You're feeling well, there were no evidences that something was wrong. It's probably the anxiety and the fear I think is inherent to parenthood. The baby is not even here and I'm sure your instinct is to worry, is to have news about him or her. It's just a natural concern, Honey" he squeezed her thigh and offered a smile.

"I don't know, Damon. It's just… something is off," she sighed tiredly. The feeling started shy of a few days ago but now it was more evident. She just knew something wasn't as it was supposed to be and she even thought about going to the ER and get the doctors to run tests to ensure everything was it was supposed to be.

"Maybe it's the idea that you got that the first months would be filled with morning sickness, dizziness, tiredness, sleepiness and all those things we've been reading for the past few days but I'm sure everything is okay with the baby. You're both healthy," Damon offered and there weren't many doubts on his mind then. It was probably it. Her pregnancy was fairly asymptomatic and it was probably the lack of bad experience sending her brain a message that something was off.

"You're probably right," she smiled. His arguments were good ones and that was probably what it was.

"Let's get out. Let's go to the movies, take a walk on the park, maybe ice stake somewhere. We just need to get out of the apartment and keep our minds occupied and the hours will fly by," he said excitedly standing up. "I'd love to spend the day with my beautiful girlfriend and show her off."

"Yes, let's take the chances while we have it. Once the baby is here our daddy and mommy quality time may be reduced a lot."

As Elena and Damon expected their busy day passed much faster than their lazy Saturday. Before they knew they were already at home, having dinner and heading straight to bed, tired by the many activities they did during the whole day. They watched two movies, went ice-skating – if what Damon allowed her to do was skating at all, he was too worried about her falling to let her do anything –, watched some dance group presenting at the park and ended the night in a carnival they found in Brooklyn.

* * *

Their appointment was scheduled at seven thirty in the morning and they were a little bit late, still as consequence of their loaded day before. Damon asked for the earliest spot in the doctor's schedule because of his responsibilities with the movie but now he wished it was later. He was still tired and he hoped Elena was wrong about her bad feeling.

"Elena Gilbert?" the nurse asked and immediately Elena and Damon stood up, holding hands and followed the short woman through the long hallway.

"Dr. Karev will be here in a minute. You can change into the hospital gown in the private adjacent changing room," the blond informed her before she left the couple alone in the big room.

"I can't believe we're finally here. Actually I can't believe this is happening, we're having a baby!" Elena said excitedly as she took the gown in her hands and looked at her boyfriend, her eyes already tearing up.

"We're going to have a baby, Elena Gilbert and that's the best gift you could have ever given me. To have a baby… with you," Damon said also feeling his eyes wetting while he held a big smile.

"I love you," she said hugging him tightly and longingly.

"I love both of you," he answered kissing the side of her head while he moved his hand between their bodies, touching her stomach.

Elena closed the door to change herself and by the time she was walking to the stretcher the doctor entered the room.

"Good morning Ms. Gilbert," Alex greeted the couple as he walked to the chair between the bed and the ultrasound machine.

"Please call me Elena and this is my boyfriend Damon Salvatore, Dr. Karev," the brunette suggested and the doctor offered his hand to Damon, greeting the other occupant of the exam room.

"Okay, Elena. I'll ask you a few questions before we start the exams, okay?" Alex confirmed and the couple nodded, "You can lie on your back, comfortably. When I need you to move I'll let you know," he completed and despite Elena's narrowed eyes, Damon helped her climb on the bed. She loved him for his always thoughtful actions but she felt like she was sick. It was probably the anxiety speaking and she decided to let it go. He was only trying to help after all.

"When was your last period?" he asked while he held a file and a pen.

"Someday before Thanksgiving, I'm not quite sure. Probably three days before it," she answered trying to remember the exact date. All she knew was that when she drove to Raleigh her period had already stopped but it wasn't longer than a couple of days, so she couldn't be sure.

"Were you taking any birth control measure?"

"Birth control pills."

"Did you stop with them already?"

"Yes, as soon as I did the tests at home" she explained while the doctor kept writing down her answers.

"Did you forget to take any of pills up last month?"

"No, I took them all in their supposed day."

"For how long have you been taking the pill without interruption?"

"Seven years," she blushed a little. She didn't know why she did but Damon knew she didn't have a boyfriend for almost five years but still she was on pill during all that time.

"With no interruption at all?"

"No."

"Okay. Are you feeling anything different? Any symptoms that you realized since your last period?"

"I was very sick last week, during the first days which is why I bought the tests. All three of them said I was pregnant but then the sickness stopped. I guess I'm feeling more sleepy but I'm not sure about it or if it has anything to do with the baby," she answered looking at Damon briefly who still had her hand on his bigger one.

"So I suppose you didn't do any blood test yet?"

"No, just the drugstore ones."

"Are you the father, Mr. Salvatore?"

"Yes, I am," Damon offered with the biggest grin on his face.

"Any birth control measures on your side?"

"No," Damon shook his head.

"I guess that's it. I'm going to collect some of your blood Elena and then we'll start with the ultrasound, okay?" he asked and the brunette only nodded, squeezing Damon's hand a bit.

He wondered if it was because she was afraid of nails and started talking to her about while Dr. Karev prepared the injection to collect her sample.

"Seven years with no interruption? I guess my boys are really capable, don't you think?" he teased avoiding looking at the doctor but when Alex touched her arm, Elena looked from her boyfriend to the physician. Damon reached her for cheek and turned her face back to him. "I'm that incredible," he winked and she actually rolled her eyes.

"What can I say? Nature certainly wanted my awesomeness to be seeded in the world," Damon shrugged while pulling a careless face and before Elena could answer she felt the sting on her arm.

"All done, Honey," Damon said seeing her grimacing a bit, before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Thanks, Baby," she whispered with a thankful smile.

"Okay, now I'm going to spread the gel on your stomach, Elena. Then I'll collect some samples from your fluids. According to the preliminary questions you answered your last visit to the gynecologist was over two years ago and I'd like to have you tested for a few things, which is why I asked you to change into a gown. In the following appointments you'll be able to be in your own clothes, okay?" he explained and she nodded pulling up the fabric as he asked.

"This is going to be cold," he announced before spreading the gel on her flat belly and then bringing the pads to touch her skin.

He maneuvered the equipment for awhile and frowned a little bit before moving it around again.

"Is everything okay?" Damon asked seeing how Elena was getting nervous by the lack of words from the doctor although she couldn't see him frowning like Damon could.

"I'm sorry Elena…" the doctor offered before moving the pads around one more time before discarding them and taking a paper cloth to clean them up "You're not pregnant."

* * *

_AN: first, sorry for the week wait but I guess that's the pace I'll keep with this story unless I have a sudden inspiration attack and write like three chapters in a row. Second, yes, she's not pregnant. I didn't want a miscarriage, I didn't want her to be sick but they need to be realistic about their relationship and grow as a couple. Just because she's not pregnant now, it doesn't mean she won't get pregnant. I'm a baby person, even in my vampires stories Damon and Elena had babies one way or the other :P_

_Thanks for the reviews, keep them coming. Thanks to **May**, my beta._

_xoxo  
_


	3. The Good Side of Bad

**Real Life**

**Chapter 2 - The Good Side of Bad  
**

* * *

Since the moment Alex Karev entered the room he knew Damon and Elena were one of those happy couples that couldn't be more excited about becoming parents. It was in the shine of their eyes, the way they looked at each other and the easy smile they couldn't remove from their faces. Alex had seen many of those faces during the three years he'd been working as an obstetrician. That was why revealing to Elena that she wasn't pregnant he felt sorry for her.

"What do you mean?" Damon was the first to voice something after the doctor said what the exam showed.

"There's no indication that Elena had ever been pregnant although there's something I'd like to take a closer look at," Alex explained but still Elena couldn't react. She was paralyzed since the doctor gave her the worst news she could think of: she wasn't going to be a mother.

She didn't even know what was going on inside of her. It was a rush of feelings and none of them were good. Of course she wasn't planning on being a mother like that. She and Damon were in a relationship for just a couple of months and she knew it was too soon for them to commit themselves into something as big as sharing a child but it didn't matter. The rational voice inside her head was soon muffled by the painful screams of her heart. She didn't lose a baby because there was no baby to lose to start with, but that was how she felt. After everything she and Damon shared the past week, the many plans, the many dreams and the many happy moments, she _felt_ pregnant. She felt like she was going to be a mother and that a small life was growing inside her. A life she created with the man she loved.

"Elena," she heard but she wasn't sure if it was one of the many voices in her head. "Honey, look at me, Elena, are you listening?" Damon called again.

"I'm sorry, I'm… I…" she came from her frenzy finally identifying his voice among the many she could listen then.

"Did you hear what Dr. Karev just said?" Damon asked, his voice filled of concern and sorrow.

"No, I didn't," she answered and the first tears started to shimmer in her eyes.

"There's a mass near your fallopian tube which might be responsible for an overload of hormones that could have caused the false positive exam," the doctor explained and Elena who was still shocked for the previous news, was now devastated for the latest.

"I have cancer?" she asked incredulous, looking back at Damon who also had tears in his eyes but still reached her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly "You don't, Kitten," he offered but the way she felt his own hand slightly shaking under her she knew he wasn't as sure about it.

"It seems like a fibroid to me, I saw a few smaller in different regions. Normally there are small chances to ever become cancer," Alex explained for the first time as Damon interrupted his early explanation when he realized Elena wasn't processing the doctor's words at all.

"So it's not cancer and it's not going to be cancer?" Damon asked to make sure he understood it perfectly.

"Normally yeah, but it should affect the period by making it more intense and longer and give cramps, it isn't supposed to make it stop which is why I think we should investigate further. A release of hormones is probably what caused the positive results, which is very rare. I'd like to take a closer look through a vaginal ultrasound to have a better view. It could be caused by the uncommon location too close to the tube. Also this one is bigger than the others and it seems different in shape. But whatever type or deformation this fibroid may have, it's still a fibroid," the doctor offered and Elena who was holding her breath, breathed relieved. It was painful enough to know she wasn't pregnant; cancer was something she wouldn't be able to handle.

"Would you like to talk about your options now, Elena?" Alex asked softly to the woman in front of him. He could see how fragile she was at that moment but based on history on gynecologist visits in the past few years, he wanted to make sure he covered everything in that one appointment, especially because the non-pregnancy news seemed to have hit her hard.

"Yes, sure," she robotically answered, her mind going back to the baby she already loved but that didn't exist.

"First, I'm going to do the gynecologist exams and tests that you didn't do for a while to ensure that nothing else is wrong and then the ultrasound, okay?" he asked and she only nodded but didn't do anything else.

"He needs you to take your underwear off, Elena" Damon said tenderly, while brushing some of her hair off of her face. She muttered okay but didn't move to do so. Damon could see how it was affecting her to know she wasn't pregnant. He was also disappointed but he was much more worried about her health and about her reaction about the baby who didn't exist to pay attention to his own feelings about the news.

He kissed the side of her head and moved to the end of the stretcher covering her body with the gown again before he delicately removed her underwear and helped her to move her ankles to the supports in order for the doctor to collect the samples he needed and check her.

"You know I love you, right?" Damon said to his girlfriend as he brought his face just a few inches away from hers, resting his hand on her cheek.

"Yes," she answered teary, knowing he was also trying to distract her from any pain or discomfort caused by Alex collecting the samples and examining her.

"We could leave this office now and make love until you're pregnant. I still want that baby with you. You're healthy and Dr. Karev will tell you so when the results come up," Damon reassured and she only nodded but they both knew that wasn't how it was going to be. She hoped she was pregnant and she was well aware that they didn't plan a pregnancy and planning one while they were together for only a couple of months didn't seem the reasonable thing to do.

"Damon, Elena," Dr Karev said a few minutes later after he was done with the samples and exams. The couple had remained quiet after what Damon said. They didn't want to move that conversation forward because of the disappointment they had. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't want to lie to her, so they just stayed silent. But now that the doctor got their attention again they both looked at each other and then at the doctor.

"Although it is pretty rare for fibroids to develop into anything, whatever it is, I guess that's going to be the case with this one. The others seem pretty normal and we don't need to remove them but if you want to remove them all when we remove the other, it's up to you. I could only tell for sure it's developing into cancer if we waited a little longer and did a biopsy but I think the best thing to do is remove it. It's a bad localization and it could definitely become a problem in a future pregnancy and it's much bigger than the others so it might be growing faster. You can think about it. There are a few ways to treat fibroids and a couple to remove it but I'd go with a laparoscopy because it's less invasive than surgery and as the alternatives may bring fertility issues," Alex explained carefully not to alarm the young couple. The fibroid looked abnormal but he wasn't sure of why or what it was going on. He didn't want them to think it was cancer but he didn't want to rule it out either.

"Is it or isn't it cancer?" Elena asked objectively.

"I can only confirm it with a biopsy now or later. It seems to be in early changing development as some parts look like the others fibroids. Maybe it's just the body trying to get rid of it. Fibroids aren't a threat to the body or to a pregnancy which is why nothing happens when they appear except for the symptoms I said, more intense and longer period, cramps, sometimes when there are many or too big they can induce preterm labor because of the lack of space for the baby to keep growing but overall fibroids are harmless. But as we don't know for sure what this could be in the future we could just get rid of it now, especially if you plan on another pregnancy, in the near future or not," Alex made sure to make it clear.

"Okay. Get it scheduled," Elena said with a resigned tone. She should have been paid more attention to her health care. She didn't have much of an active sexual life before Damon but it was to prevent things like this to happen and to avoid diseases to developing that periodical visits to the OB Gyn were needed. If she had looked for a one when she started her relationship with Damon maybe all this disappointment could have been avoided. But she was just thankful it happened, otherwise she could be developing cancer and have no clue about it until it was too late.

The couple was dismissed after a few more explanations and they headed straight to the nurses' station to schedule a new appointment by the end of the week when all results would be back. The procedure was probably going to be scheduled the next week or the following, depending if Alex noticed the fibroid was growing or changing too fast.

"You can keep the car; I'll take a cab to the apartment. With all the complications the appointment was quite longer than we expected," Elena offered as they walked outside the hospital.

"I called the studio while you were changing into your clothes, I'm not going today. The co-producers will do it without me for the day," Damon informed her and she was actually taken aback. Normally it was hard for Damon to negotiate leaving earlier, she could only imagine what he had said to get the whole day off. They probably canceled some of their agenda for the day.

"Damon, really, I'm fine. That sickness last week must have been something I ate or the flu. I'm absolutely fine," she offered stopping in front of him and giving him a reassuring look that confirmed she was feeling physically fine. But that wasn't what concerned him.

"What if I'm not fine?" he asked knowing that if he pressured the issue she would keep trying to convince him that he didn't need to spend the day with her. As Damon thought about their recent and still new relationship he was actually surprised at how they could know some things about each other that other people would definitely take more than a couple of months. He knew Elena was about to shut the world out. She didn't like to share it when she was in pain. She let bad thoughts of self-pity and pessimism consume and her and the next thing he knew she lost all her hope and dreams. Surely for smaller things it wouldn't be that drastic but he could see in her tortured gaze how badly she was taking the news. He didn't know if it was only because of the baby or the fact that Dr. Karev didn't completely ruled out the possibility of cancer, although he was very positive that Elena wouldn't have any complications or problems even if that was the case. But cancer was always cancer. No matter if the doctor says you have one hundred percent of chances of doing it and in her case probably without any sort of therapy following the procedure, you still only think about the big C and the complication it would bring for the rest of your life.

"We didn't lose a baby today, Damon. There was no baby. If anything I should be happy for that false alarm because if this fibroid thing is becoming cancer I would probably never know until the cancer ate me up and I started feeling bad. Just like you said, we could have a baby whenever we decide the time is right. Dr. Karev doesn't think I have any sort of fertility issues so everything will be okay. Maybe it's better this way," she tried to comfort him and she felt like she was doing a great job until the last sentence. She couldn't say that while she faced him. If she was practical and rational, it was a good thing that she wasn't pregnant. They just started a relationship, there was a big road ahead of them, and they should enjoy their free time and plan their vacation after the movie's production is wrapped up. That was what they were supposed to do in the next few months. Expecting a baby and planning their future so early felt like a big pressure and she should feel relieved that they would take things slowly now, as they were supposed to be. Except that she didn't feel this way at all but she wouldn't let him know. She couldn't bring his spirits down. She knew he was concerned about her health, despite how much Alex tried to ensure them that she would be fine in two weeks. And she knew he was somehow hurting about the baby they wouldn't have in the next few months. She knew fatherhood was something Damon was waiting to happen to his life probably since Alyssa was born and she was positive he didn't have a clue about it. She had to be there for him like he had been for her before.

"I got the day off and I'm not going to waste it now. I'm happy you feel this positive and fine. Everything you said is true, you'll be alright in two weeks and we'll never have to worry about this fibroid thing anymore. And we have the rest of our lives to plan our baby, in the meanwhile we'll just practice it," he offered his smirk but just as much as he didn't believe she meant a word of what she just said, Elena knew that Damon was also lying now. They tried so hard to be there for each other that they didn't realize the damage they were doing to themselves by ignoring their pain and disappointment. It didn't matter if the baby never existed, it felt like they lost it and that wasn't a feeling that would go away just easily.

* * *

Their ride home was silent although Damon held her hand the whole time while he drove them back to her apartment. A lot of things were going through his head. He knew what she was doing although he wasn't aware he was doing the same thing. All he kept in mind was how he was going to be there for her if she kept saying there wasn't any problem. He thought of ways he could do it without talking about the baby or even her health condition. He could try to cheer her up but for now he would avoid discussing their relationship with her. He thought maybe they should think over the whole moving in together decision. There was no rush for them to speed up their relationship and he thought it was better if he was done with the movie when they talked about their living arrangements. He would have to be back in LA as soon as he was done in New York. He had a couple of other projects going on, one of them a charity event he was part of, probably the main part. There was also a documentary he had already committed himself to produce and the studio was ultimately in LA, where he worked, so their living arrangements was definitely something they should discuss.

The elevator hide was also a silent one but once they entered the penthouse they couldn't pretend anymore. During their Sunday escape they ran into a fair in Brooklyn and found a beautiful craftwork blanket that they didn't have time to take away from the coffee table as they barely made it to dinner and shower before going to bed the previous day and were running late this morning. Although the blanket was still in the bag in the middle of her living room it made them face what they were trying to ignore the best they could. They may not have lost a baby but their dreams about that baby were dead.

Elena walked to the coffee table and unwrapped the small blanket, bringing it to her chest, holding it against her heart while she let the tears fall down freely. She was done pretending everything was okay. Everything _wasn't_ okay and although Damon had no idea those were the thoughts going through her mind, his next words proved her silent words wrong.

"We'll be okay. I know some things just aren't right and maybe we're looking for a little self-preservation now but we'll be fine, Elena. It may not be today or tomorrow, or not even next week or month but we'll be okay. Our dream was destroyed but we're still here, we still have each other. And that's the one thing I know," he hugged her while she quietly cried in his arms, holding the small piece of fabric with so many beautiful craftwork.

* * *

_AN: All medical details thanks to my husband, who is a doctor although not a gynecologist. A mass, benign or not, can cause a hormonal release that could lead to a false negative. The cancer possibility will be answered in the following update. I guess with this I answer all the questions raised by you last chapter. Thanks for reviewing and thanks a lot to **May**, my beta. xoxo_

_Babi  
_


	4. Shadows Prove The Sunshine

**Real Life**

**Chapter 3 - Shadows Prove The Sunshine**

* * *

Elena and Damon spent his day off at her apartment doing nothing. They barely talked about what happened and after watching TV, movies, cooking and reading they went to bed much earlier than normal. They just wanted that day to end and if they slept it would make it faster. Elena was absolutely worn out because of the events of the day and as soon as she lay on her bed she was sleeping and Damon took that chance to finally break down. He was lying with her and waited until her unmistaken sound of her soft snoring filled the room before he carefully removed his arm from under her waist. He went to the living room and grabbing one of his scotch bottles that he had moved from the hotel to her apartment he went to the balcony. The same place where he gave her the Claddagh ring, the same place she gave him the small booties, where they made love celebrating the baby they thought they had created together. That was the place where he was going to cry for not becoming a dad and where he was going to pray for her to be healthy.

He thought about calling his brother. Stefan was always someone he liked to listen to when crisis time came. Katherine didn't know how to deal with hurting people although she did a good job with him and Elena during Thanksgiving. He decided against talking to both. There was nothing anyone could say that could change how he felt about both bits of bad news. He was absolutely disappointed and hurt about the baby. It wasn't supposed to feel like Elena had a miscarriage but that was the feeling he had inside. It was a loss, not a mistake. He lost something and if that something ever existed or not, it was a detail that didn't bring him any consolation. He thought he was going to be a parent. He was picking names and wondering what he was going to teach to his son or daughter. He allowed himself to dream about what it would be to have a little girl, like Alyssa. Of course he wanted to have boys too but he was absolutely enchanted by the idea of having a little girl and he didn't even know why. Maybe because girls could be more needy of his protection, or because he could spoil them better than boys. He wasn't a sports person, he didn't have any play to teach to his son that could or could not want to play anything. But he could go days and days playing with dolls and having tea with his little girl. He had gone as far as imagining how hard it would be for him to control his jealousy and over protectiveness when she was a teenager. But he would be as happy with a boy but now he was just heartbroken for having none.

But that wasn't the worst part of his day. What Dr. Karev said after it was stealing the peace in his heart. He could deal with not having a baby with Elena now. He could even deal with any fertility issues she could have but he couldn't deal with her being sick. Especially seriously sick. If she couldn't have kids he would be disappointed with life, definitely not with her, but he would move on, regardless if they adopted, surrogated or whatever. But not having Elena wasn't an option. It was a nightmare he was sure he wouldn't survive. The doctor had been crystal clear and assured them both about her condition even if it was a malign mass. Still that didn't make him feel any better. He prayed and hoped it was just a fibroid changing its form to something benign and once they got rid of it in a couple of weeks it'd be gone and forgotten.

His thoughts traveled through all the horrible things that could happen in case it wasn't something harmless as he hoped. He didn't know when he started but when he felt a different taste in his scotch he realized he had been crying copiously and his tears falling on his tumbler. The bitter taste in his mouth didn't offer the escape he thought it would, so he discarded the glass and buried his face in his hands, crying painfully at the prospect of Elena being hurt by something as cruel as cancer. It wasn't only about him losing her, it was about what she would have to go through if that was the case. He didn't want her to hurt like that, he would do anything he could to prevent it but he knew all he could do now was pray for it to be nothing but a fibroid.

"Damon?" she asked as she tightened the thick robe around her body, the cold breeze of New York evening sending chills to her spine. The first thing she noticed was how his body was shaking and she knew it wasn't only because of tears she could see pooling on the floor underneath his face. It was freezing outside and he was wearing only a T-shirt and old sweatpants. The same way she appeared, she vanished and for a moment he thought if he was seeing and hearing things. But less than a minute later she was there again, a comforter in her arms.

"It was cold there without you," she softly said as she wrapped the comforter around him, before kneeling in front of the crying man.

Just then she saw the bottle and the glass, both discarded on the table. She didn't keep track of how much Damon drank from his favorite scotch as almost every night he had a shot or two but that bottle seemed much emptier than she remembered.

"What's going on, Babe?" she asked as she replaced his hands around his face for her own.

Damon just shook his head in her hands, he wasn't able to speak any words and her presence only made the pain and the fear from anything bad happening to her worse.

"Is it about the baby?" she asked quietly and this time he shook his head less emphatically. "Is it about me?" he tried and the lack of answer was everything she needed to know what was going on in his head.

"I'm okay, Damon. I feel okay, there's no odd feeling about it. Remember just yesterday I was saying that I had a bad feeling about the pregnancy? Well I was right and I know I'm right again, everything will be okay. I don't feel sick, I don't feel like I'm going to be sick, I just feel sad, disappointed, hurt because I thought we were going to have a baby in a few months from now but it turns out we aren't. It hurts, it stings actually and I'm really sorry about it, but I'm here, I'm healthy, we'll do that laparoscopy thing Dr. Karev suggested and whatever that thing is, it'll be out of my system and it won't matter anymore," she reassured him and still on her knees she leaned on to kiss him on the forehead.

"What if…" he was about to ask but he was cut off by her immediately, as her hand moved from his cheek to his lips. "No what ifs. I heard what you said before. It's you and me; it's still you and me in this and in whatever life throws our way. And if that's a disease I'm happy that you'll be by my side through my bad days," she replaced her fingers on his lips by her own mouth and silencing him with a soft peck she retreated back to her position and watched his reaction.

"How can you be this strong and confident? I'm the one who should be comforting you right now, not the other way around," he asked, now cupping her face as he talked.

"Because seeing you like this gives me strength to fight every little and big bad thing. _You, Damon,_ make me stronger, confident and brave. Of all bad things that happened today, seeing you so broken like this is by far the worst one. I will do everything I can to make you happy, even in the bad days, even when I'm hurting, when you're hurting, when we're disagreeing. All I have is you and you're the one thing I cherish the most in my life. A baby would be a dream and cancer would be a nightmare but at the end of the day all that matters to me is that you're there, in my bed, in your bed, in any bed, by my side, giving me a reason to look forward to the next day," she answered while a couple of tears fell from her eyes.

"What did I do to deserve you? That's just so… perfect, you're so perfect, Kitten," he sniffled and she moved one of her hands to wipe his tears.

"There's no deserving in life Damon. Tyler and Vicki hurt me really bad and destroyed my dream and look at them. They've been happy for many years, got married, are expecting a baby girl. He won the Super Bowl and he's one of the big deals in NFL. I never did anything bad to either of them not even after I found him packing to leave with her. And although I'm very happy for my career and the success I've got with the book, _my life_ has been miserable while his has been nearly perfect. I can't believe I didn't deserve happiness. It's not about him deserving it or not, it's okay for him to be happy. People make mistakes and I believe if they fully regret them they're forgiven and nothing should be held against them. It's not he's happy; it's that for almost five years of my life I've been miserable, dreamless and hopeless. But then I met you, in the most improbable way. So what I believe is timing. Some days I won't deserve you, some days I will. Some days you won't deserve me, some days you will. But the important thing is that we're here, together, that we were at the right place, at the right time. So please, never say it again. It's not the first time I hear you saying it and I'd love if you didn't repeat it again. I'll make mistakes, I'll fall, I'll break and you'll be there to catch me, to put the parts together and to forgive me. Let's make this about love not about deservedness, okay?" she said as she quietly and softly wiped his tears that couldn't be stopped as he heard such caring and loving words.

"Okay," he whispered and leaned in to peck her lips tenderly. Their lips stayed locked, just touching one another's for long seconds before they broke apart and he enveloped his arms around her, bringing the comforter with him.

"I love you," she whispered feeling him raising her body and making her sit on his lap, to relieve her knees from the uncomfortable position.

"I love you, Kitten," he said back, holding her tight against his body.

* * *

Despite her encouraging words that nothing would be wrong with her, they still didn't have the final answer. They were both hopeful but still there was a lot of tension in the air. Damon barely slept at night since that day. He was anxious and his anxiety had always stolen his sleep. The two weeks seemed to go impossibly slowly despite how busy he had been with the movie. They were in full throttle and it would be like that for two more months, maybe even three. It didn't help that Elena said everything about their relationship should be discussed after she got the results of the biopsy. She said they needed to know what they were dealing with before making plans and taking decisions that had been anticipated because of the baby and that maybe they should rethink now.

But the procedure was finally done and all they had to do now was waiting for a couple of days for the results. Dr. Alex had been positive about the results. The whole mass was removed through his new laparoscopy technique. It was a new procedure he had developed that allowed him to remove bigger fibroids, like Elena's, using the non-invasive surgery. It was a good thing that she did it on a Friday and they had the weekend ahead of them to wait for the results, instead of being apart because of his job.

Elena tried to use her pain and disappointment to help her writing. She had wrote her first best seller in the worst time of her life, when she had been the most miserable but since Damon came to her life she got used to having inspiration through happiness and now it seemed like she couldn't even complete the pieces she had already started. Pain and sorrow was doing nothing for her new book and she spent the days thinking over everything between her and her boyfriend. She spent long minutes, sometimes over an hour, playing with the ring he gave her. She was absolutely happy that she had him with her, especially if the results confirmed she would have to face such a horrible thing as cancer but still she thought they should slow down. Damon had been living with her for almost a month and while it felt good, she wasn't sure if that was for the best. She didn't want to be his hotel room until he finished the movie. He never talked to her about it but she wondered what would happen when his time in New York was done. She had no idea of what he had planned and she knew that was one of the many conversations they should have. There was also the unsaid subject of having a baby together. She wasn't pregnant and they were having sex, although much less than before, partially because he was too tired and partially because he didn't know for sure what was going on in her body. She knew he didn't feel comfortable about doing it before the procedure and now they would have to wait a few days before doing it again. As Alex suggested her to drop the birth control pill at least until her next natural period came, they were using protection. The feeling of having a baby left a huge hole in their hearts when it was proved wrong and it seemed like it only intensified her own need to start a family. She didn't know how Damon really felt about it but she knew planning a pregnancy now wasn't the wise thing to do. No matter how much she wanted nothing more than to become a mother. No matter how intense and almost suffocating her need was, they were about to celebrate their third month together, they couldn't be planning pregnancies but that was what she wanted the most, especially with him.

He was the perfect man for her. He used to say she was perfect all the time and she still blushed most times but that was how she felt about him too. She realized after the false alarm he grew overprotective from the healthy level he had before to an almost controlling one. He was also too ready to say yes to whatever requests she had. He watched too many movies for her taste, especially foreign ones that she couldn't understand a word of because most of them were subtitled. But those were the only things she could say against him. It was more than understandable that he would be overprotective of his girlfriend when there was the possibility of her having cancer. Of course he would call her innumerous times a day, schedule appointments with doctors she hadn't visited in too long, from ophthalmologists to cardiologists. The latter because she had mentioned in her second visit to Dr. Karev that she had a small and almost unnoticeable heart murmur diagnosed when she was still a teenager. Of course Damon was being a little bit suffocating but she wondered if she wouldn't do even worse if he was the one under the threat of cancer.

She also missed the Damon that would insist until he had things his way with her. She had never felt forced to do whatever he asked her to do but lately instead of suggesting and asking things, all he did was ask her what she wanted to do. It was okay to let her to make decisions but it was becoming too much. Damon didn't decide even about what to eat anymore. She had to decide everything – except for her doctor appointments, from food to when they should have the serious talk they'd postponed for two weeks already. It didn't fit his endearing, dominant, confident, arrogant personality that she grew to love. She felt like somehow she broke the cocky strong-willed man and that lately he was looking more like a fragile, scared, indecisive little boy instead of the man she fell in love with. She knew it was also because he was trying to protect her from his own needs. Just like the sex. He was afraid of worsening something that scarcely caused her health any harm. He didn't want to push, he didn't want to impose, he didn't want to force anything but she felt that was exactly what she needed to move on from the loud wish she had to become a mother.

After giving up on writing for the fifth day in a row, she went to the grocery store to buy everything he needed to make them dinner. Damon of course was very picky about food and every time he wanted to cook he bought fresh new food at Whole Foods. He said Katherine was neurotic about healthy food but he was following her ways as each day passed. She knew he would probably say she didn't need to endeavor herself with crossing the neighborhood to go to the closest Whole Foods but she really needed the distraction.

* * *

They arrived back at her apartment by the same time, separated by at most five minutes.

"I was wondering where my beautiful girlfriend had gone," he embraced her just after helping her with the bags of food.

"Want to eat that special salad and pasta that only my amazing boyfriend can do," she offered against his chest. The best feeling in the world was being wrapped by him. Despite the significant changes in his behavior he still made her feel safe like no one.

"On the way," he winked kissing her longingly keeping the hugging-kissing routine they established since they came back from North Carolina.

"And then after that maybe we should talk…" she offered quietly after they broke apart.

"About?" he asked trying to hide his uneasiness. She had suggested they would talk about the future after they knew what she was dealing with regarding her health condition.

"Us."

* * *

_AN: I guess the most appropriate name to this story should be Real Love instead of Real Life but I think it'll work like this. Yeah, bad things are bring thrown on their way but one thing will remain the same: the way the feel about each other. I don't plan to use those situations so draw them apart. thanks a lot for the reviews and for my beta **May. **Let me know what you thought about this one._

_xoxo_

_Babi  
_


	5. Detours in Life and Conversations

**Real Life**

**Chapter 4 - Detours in Life... and Conversations**

* * *

Damon had been tense throughout the whole night. He almost messed up the sauce to their Italian dinner twice. He was a master in the kitchen but Elena's announcement about what they would be doing after dinner got him uneasy and unfocused.

It took him nearly an hour and a half to do something he usually did in less than an hour. But his head were focused on her words and he was panicking inside. He understood why she suggested that they talked after she got the results. The first priority in her life should be her health and lately it was his priority too. Everything else could wait and be worked around. Whatever plans they had to their future it should be accommodated to whatever her physical condition demanded. So why the sudden change of mind?

They ate almost silently. Of course she had complimented his skills many times. She loved his food. He was an expert and that was why she wanted him to make them dinner. She wanted to have something positive in their lives. For the past couple of weeks they'd been worrying and tense and she wanted to relax, she wanted to take a deep breath before facing whatever was ahead of her and she couldn't think of a better way than eating his cooking.

Damon was even more uneasy and quiet because of the white envelope that was resting on the table. When Elena came she had bought it with her and put it there but didn't say anything about it. He also thought she was having too much wine. She rarely drank anything alcoholic. Except for the day he met her and followed her into the Manhattan bar, he had never seen Elena sipping more than one shot or glass of whatever alcoholic beverage she ordered. Normally it would be a glass of wine. Sometimes when they went to their favorite restaurants it would be a flute of champagne but that was it. Elena drank mostly socially but tonight she was already on her third glass of wine and Damon was worried. Were the results in the white envelope? Was it why she had been drinking since they started eating? Did she need some liquid courage to open it? Thousands of things ran through his head but he wouldn't ask anything. He had been extra careful with everything he talked to her about lately. He didn't want to upset her with any of his witty, arrogant and sometimes inappropriate comments. Amidst all the bad news they got since the new year started, he found himself being less sarcastic and cocky and quieter and softer towards her. But all he wanted now was to break his own new rules and ask what the hell was going on.

"That was amazing. It totally makes up for the extra time it took you to prepare it," she offered after she pressed the napkin against her lips after she ate the last of the contents on her plate.

"Actually I was distracted while cooking, I zoned out a few times," he honestly added. Just because he had a new sparing policy it didn't mean he lied to her.

"By what?" she asked refilling her glass of wine for the fourth time, actually emptying the bottle already as he only had one glass.

"What's following dinner," once again he was truthful in his words.

"Oh… I didn't realize it's been bugging you. I just feel like we don't need to wait for the results and let yet another external event decide the choices we make to our relationship," she shrugged and Damon realized how she nearly downed the entire glass of wine after her remark.

"But your health is more important…" he started but she cut him off.

"No, Damon, my health isn't more important than our relationship. I mean it is and of course I'll take care of myself and I hope the results come negative but if that's not the case I don't see why we should be changing our plans in the near future because of it. It doesn't matter if I have to undergo any treatment or have another surgery. This thing between us is being molded by external facts when it shouldn't. When we thought I was pregnant we decided to move in together promptly because that would be better for us and the baby. Of course I want you to be by my side more often if I'm pregnant and I'm sure you feel the same way and at some point the baby would be able to recognize your voice and presence. But we aren't expecting any baby and we should take the next steps in our relationship in a pace that is comfortable for both of us. We should plan our future naturally. We've been together for three months Damon and that is considering when we met, not Thanksgiving, because that makes it barely two months. Moving in together, thinking about having a baby, all those things are part of the process but I don't see why we should be doing it so fast," she reasoned and when she stopped talking she took the rest of the wine in her glass.

"Why shouldn't we?" he retorted and she was surprised by his answer. She expected that conversation to be one-sided as most of their conversations had been in the past two weeks. She was happy that he was finally standing up for himself again, even if she disagreed of his opinion.

"For starters we've already been through an incredible and unnecessary amount of anguish that normal couples take months to go through," she started enlisted and he once again interrupted her.

"Why aren't we normal? What set us apart from the rest of the couples out there?" he asked curious. This conversation was heading exactly where he feared most. Elena was starting to give reasons why they should take things slowly and he knew the next step would be to take a break and he didn't know how the results would influence this resolution.

"We were strangers who had sex and then agreed on some sort of crazy scheme. Then we fell in love and overreacted about our feelings, about hurting each other, not to mention you've never been in a relationship before and I avoided it as it was the devil for five years of my life. When I met you, you said you didn't do love or relationships and I felt just the same, but here we are only three months later, living together and thinking about being parents. That can't be normal, Damon," she explained and it was his time to need some alcohol.

"It's true that I've never been in love or in a relationship before, Elena. It's also true that I avoided it purposefully because I had plenty of opportunities to do so, but just because I avoided it until you it doesn't mean I'm not ready for this," he reacted defensively and although she wanted to reassure him that she wasn't judging his abilities of being in a relationship they finally hit a subject she needed to talk to him about it.

"And I have no clue of why you did it Damon. It's not usual for a guy like you avoid relationships as if they were damned. You're a great guy, with perfect looks, successful in your career. Why would avoid falling in love so hard?" she asked the question she wanted to know the answer since he presented his theory of journey and destination.

"Because I thought love wasn't for me, Elena and I'm happy you proved me wrong," he answered simply as he reached for his bourbon bottle and brought it to the table, serving himself a shot even if he knew it didn't bond well with the glass of wine he had. Elena was also surprised by his need of alcohol. Actually she didn't realize she had been drinking that much. She was anxious and the wine was good and it was relaxing and almost reassuring as she prepared herself to talk to him. But she did that unconsciously.

"And why would you think it?" she challenged.

"Because love wasn't something I was familiar with."

"How can you not be familiar with love surrounded by your family? I've seen few families that have such close ties as yours. The crew that constantly works with you, worships you and I'm sure a few of them really like you for who you are. I had at least a couple of them telling me how great of a man you are. How can you tell me you're not familiar with love?"

"It doesn't feel like that, Elena. Children are pure at heart and how can you not love a baby? Do you think I had a choice when I saw Alyssa for the first time? Or any of the boys? When you see someone that tiny, all your walls fall down and you have an urgent protection feeling going on. You want to protect them from everything bad. That's a very powerful and peculiar situation, trust me I was highly surprised by how it developed," he confessed refilling his glass.

"What about Katherine and Stefan? I'm sure they don't apply to the children rule, unless you felt the same way you do about your nephews when you were a boy yourself," she watched as he gulped the shot at once. She didn't know why, but she reached for the bottle and took it away from him.

"What are you doing?" he asked surprised by her action.

"You don't have to get yourself drunk to have this conversation, Damon" she voiced one of her small concerns. He didn't stop drinking more than usual after their night in the balcony and she was concerned that he was hiding or drowning his fears in alcohol.

"But still you basically drank a bottle of wine all by yourself," he retorted sarcastically.

"I didn't…" she frowned looking at the bottle and then at her glass and at last at his, "You drank too, which is one more reason why you shouldn't be drinking bourbon now. The mix may not be healthy."

"I had one glass, Elena, the rest was all on you," he offered seeing that she didn't even realize how much she had been drinking during their meal.

She had a realization look in her face but it softened as she reached for his hand, "I don't want us to fight, Damon. I'm not judging your past decisions. I just feel like this is a big part of you and we never talked about it. You know everything relevant about my past, about my family, about the adult's years of my life and I know is that you love Stefan's family, avoided love as the plague and never mentioned your parents. I want to know about you because I love you, because I want to help if that's the case, or offer my understanding or simply know deeper the man I love," she softly stroke his hand and was almost surprised when he brought her own hand to his lips and kissed it, the way both of them enjoyed.

"I just don't like to talk about my parents, Elena and why I've never been in love before," he said quietly as soon as lips broke the contact from her skin, although his eyes never reached hers.

"And do you think I liked to talk about Tyler and Vicki? Trust me that's a very sore subject and you helped me in more ways than you think getting over it, let me help you too or at least know what happened," she squeezed his hand and for the first time she had seen Damon struggling about something. Of course he struggled a lot when they fought in North Carolina and when they received the news of the baby and her health condition. But this was a different kind of struggle. She could see the pain in his face and how he was fighting, either to let her know or to keep hiding it from her, "I really want to know, Damon. I need to know it. I can't be the girl living with you and planning a baby and spending the rest of my life with you if I don't know who you really are," she reasoned and he only nodded, still avoiding visual contact.

"It's just something I don't like to voice, not even to myself," he quietly muttered.

"But I'm here for you as much as you're here for me. Why did you tell me that you're not familiar with love if your relationship with your brother and his wife is filled of it? What the three of you have is so special and something rare. It's the epitome of love and still you think you're not familiar with love. Why is that?" she softly asked. She thought that if she made the questions it would help him with his internal struggle. She didn't know what else to ask, but that was something he was ready to answer her and she would start with that.

"They love me out of pity, Elena. That's why it's so rare. Normally people just love their family because that's how they feel. But Stef and Kat, they were compelled by compassion to love me because I wasn't loveable," he admitted but he still refrained to look at her.

"What are you talking about, Damon?" she was shocked by the answer. Actually stunned described better how she felt because that idea was just ridiculous.

"Actually Stefan's love was probably out of thankfulness. We lost our mother when she gave birth to him and I vaguely remember she made me promise many times that I would be a good big brother, that I would help and teach my younger brother everything she had taught me. Of course I didn't understand it until many years later. I suppose she knew she would die although that didn't make any sense because she died of a bleeding," he explained. Damon didn't know about the disease his mother had and not that she developed it while she was pregnant with him, not Stefan. "So I basically raised Stefan on my own, especially because Father was very absent and couldn't care less. Then he got married again and the crazy bitch didn't give a crap about Stefan and I and it never bothered our father, so I was everything he had since he was born. He thanked me many times because of everything I did for him. So I guess he feels in debt with me or something," Damon was even more vulnerable as he talked about Cecilia. It was definitely the most difficult subject for him to talk about because he had never got over it. He didn't have time, he didn't have someone to help him out, he just had to keep going and avoid his father the best he could, for his own good.

"Are you trying to tell me that Stefan doesn't genuinely love you?" Elena asked frowning.

"No, he does, I would love someone who had done so much for me too, Elena," Damon clarified and she preferred to ask about Katherine instead of telling him how nonsense he sounded.

"Kat… I met her before Stefan did but only when they started dating she was a constant presence in our house. She had witnessed how father was harsh on us many times, as he never really tried to hide it from anyone. He was especially tough on me and more than once while I was still a teenager I went to my bedroom, teary. Every time she was around I could see the pity look in her eyes. When she and Stefan started dating a couple of years later she used to vent about what father did to Stefan and me. She hates Giuseppe and always felt pity for what he did to Stefan and me but especially to me. I also don't blame her because it was too damn sad to watch," he continued opening up his heart to the woman he loved although it felt like there was a dagger piercing his heart. But he knew he owed this to Elena. He knew it was only fair to tell her everything especially when she made it clear that she needed to know who he was and where he was coming from.

"Damon…" she said quietly and for the first time he looked at her and there was a small smirk on his lips, "It's funny because Kat used to look at me exactly the way you're doing now, although you have no idea of what father actually did," he tried to hide his pain but it was too evident for him to be successful.

"It may have something to do with compassion but Damon, I've been there, I've been with you and your family a few days to know that those people are crazy about you. They love you more than thankfulness or pity could afford them to. Everything Katherine did for me that day was because she loves you too much to see you hurting. Of course she might feel that you already had a crappy time with your father and you shouldn't go through the same with a girl but bottom line was that she did that because she loves you. Simply like that. Why do you think they named Alyssa after you? Why do you think Stefan although jealous, is also very proud and happy for the close relationship you have with his children? And don't let me even start with those kids. They adore you; it's more than just the love you see in any nephew. Why do you think Jay's second word was your name? In much smaller proportion, Beckie, Jill, Bianca and a few guys in the crew also love you. I was threatened even by some of them, although they tried to veil it, when we became public. Many of them hugged me and wished me the best luck in world with you because they wanted you to be happy! I don't know what happened with your father and the woman he married after your mother died, but they're the ones with affection and loving problems, not you. But if you don't believe that those people just love you because of who you are, then you have to believe me. What about me, Damon? I fought, avoided, ran and denied my feelings for you for as long as I could and that was only for a couple of weeks. I finally had a plan for my life after five years just living the present day. I had decided to move back to Mystic Falls and be with my family and I was maturing the idea of adopting a baby and start a family of my own. But then I met you, I met you and spent seven days with you and it was enough to sweep the ground under me. I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you. Loving you was just as natural to me as I'm sure it had been natural to many of the girls you've _known_ before me. I can't even put into words what I really feel for you and I can't even explain. It's not only about your beautiful honesty, compassion, sensibility, big heart, determination, loyalty or even your dashing looks. It's inexplicable. It's because you are you and that makes you one of the most beautiful people I've ever met in my life. Inside and out, Damon, you're extraordinary and trust me, not loving you is a challenge only few people in the world would be capable of winning and even then it would because of their own stoned heart, of their own inability of love, because loving you is like loving a beautiful summer day, or a field of flowers in the spring or a puppy when you're a child. It's unavoidable," when she finished her speech and the two of them were crying heavily. She cried because she couldn't believe he had ever felt unloved or not deserving of love but also because that was the man she loved more than life itself and it hurt to know he'd been through so much pain since a very tender age. As for Damon he cried because he could finally see it. It wasn't the love of the many people she showed him. It was because of her love. Of course he had contemplated that output before. Of course he was exultant that someone would finally love him simply because. But hearing those words, seeing the honesty and absolutely truth in her tearing eyes as she spoke them was the final proof he needed to finally be convinced of what Stefan and Katherine had said him in the very few times he gave them a chance to speak about Giuseppe: the problem had always been his father, it had never been him and as he stood up from his seat and hugged his girlfriend, holding her for his life, he wasn't only showing his own appreciation and love about her. He was silently thanking her for doing the first repair to finally and permanently fix him.

* * *

_AN: I hope you enjoyed the first part of their conversation, as the title implies, there was a detour on what she really wanted to talk about and I'm not going to make it happen in another occasion. they're going to discuss their relationship next. Thanks for the reviews and to my beta, **May.**_

_xoxo_

_Babi_

_PS.: dear Hard to Remember, Impossible to Forget readers, I didn't abandon that, I just didn't have much time to write this week because of college. I'll update soon. Sorry for the small delay.  
_


	6. The One, SoulMate, Fated, Whatever

**Real Life**

**Chapter 5 - The One, Soul-Mate, Fated, Whatever  
**

* * *

Damon held Elena – although emotionally she was the one holding him – for long minutes. They exchanged some words of love and reassurance while they stood embracing each other in her kitchen. He thanked her for everything she did for him more times than she agreed to listen but it seemed liked he couldn't stop saying it, even if she said he didn't need to. It was clear to him that he hadn't been fixed with only a three-minute speech but he knew that it was a step in the right direction. Damon had a lot of emotional problems and Elena was thankful that he finally shared some of his struggles with her. She wondered how someone as closed to people like him finally fell in love - with her of all people. And with the new knowledge she had just gotten she knew that more than ever they needed to finish the conversation they started.

She suggested moving to the living room or to the bedroom, but Damon protested because of the dishes over the table and the pots that still needed to be washed. Elena needed a couple of minutes but she finally convinced him to leave it for the morning. It was her chore to do the dishes when he cooked and she would have plenty of time in the following morning. It didn't escape Damon's eyes that before leaving the cooking area, Elena took the envelope that had been resting there all that time. He was still apprehensive about the contents of the small folded paper and he just hoped she planned to talk about it before sleeping because he wasn't sure if he could control his anxiety. It had to be the results, although they weren't supposed to come out for another couple of days. What else would she keep in a white envelope, which definitely had something thick inside?

"Are you feeling better?" she asked as they leisurely sat on her couch. It was too early for them to head to bed and they certainly wouldn't catch any sleep before relaxing a little bit.

"Yes… I suppose our conversation isn't done yet, right?" he asked and she smiled softly. It had been emotional but the long minutes she embraced him had been enough to give him some room to breathe normally again. It had been an emotional talk but both preferred to leave those needed conversations behind them sooner than later. They'd been postponing them for long enough.

"We do have a lot to talk and I'm sure you have much more to say about your life to me and I'm sure there are still some stories I could share with you and we don't need to rush it too. Actually I was trying to make a point. It was never my intention to have that conversation tonight but I'm happy we did," she said as she moved to rest her upper body against his. Damon had a small smile on his face as she snuggled on his chest until she found her spot. At first she took some seconds to do it but now it was almost immediately after she leaned on him but it always led his lips to curl, no matter how long she took to find it.

"I'm happy too, Kitten, but go ahead with your plan of action. I don't even remember what we were talking before you made a detour," he smirked slightly and she also smiled. She loved his smirk.

"I think we're doing things too fast, Damon," she stated straight at the point.

"Yeah I felt like that too but then I started asking myself what exactly is a normal pace. Bianca met her husband, moved in together and got married in less than six months and that was almost ten years ago and they're as happy as they could be. Stefan and Kat dated for four years, got engaged and then got married when they were both eighteen. This is relative, Elena. At first I was afraid but then I realized that I would be as afraid of moving in together if we decided to do it one year from now. It's not about the speed, it's about the commitment," he shared his own thoughts about how their relationship was evolving.

"Are you afraid of committing?" she asked trying to hide her uneasiness in thinking about it.

"No, I'm afraid of failing. This is huge leap of faith for me, Elena. As you already know, now with more details than ever, I'm new in everything a relationship and love. I'm not afraid of committing myself to you. The only reason why this ring on your finger is a commitment ring and not an engagement ring is because I _knew_ that you would find it to be too fast although I have no doubts that I want you to be my wife and that you're the only woman I want to spend my life with. I wondered that proposing would be dangerous and I thought that I would probably scare you away. And it's crazy because I can plan to marry you and have a dozen of kids with you and that's all okay but then I'm afraid of living together or doing something that will mess this up. But to answer your question, no, I'm not afraid of committing myself to you at all. I already feel married to you to be quite honest, the actually proposal and wedding will be mere formality because in my heart, that's how I feel and that was before we thought you were pregnant," his long fingers stroked the hair of the side of her head while he spoke, trying to make her stay calm, especially after he felt her stiffing when he mentioned the engagement ring.

"You thought about proposing?" she asked deviating from the main course of their conversation again. She knew exactly where he was coming from, on both things. She also felt afraid of failing him and their relationship and she also knew for sure in her heart that someday she would be Mrs. Elena Salvatore. There wasn't any other man in the world that she wanted to be her husband and now that he mentioned it, she momentarily forgot that she should be talking him out of rushed decisions.

"Yes, I was one step away from buying you the other ring… but I had this firm feeling that you would freak out if I did so I remembered of reading about the Claddagh ring in one of the scripts and I settled for that one," he confessed and he was relieved to have made that decision back at the day. If Elena felt pushed with moving in together, what would she think if he had proposed?

"For a moment, when I saw the black velvet box, I thought you were going to propose," she also confessed what happened to her back at the day.

"And how did you feel?" he asked curious at her answer.

"That I would have said yes without having to think twice about it," she tilted her head up and looked at him. He had the beautiful grin plastered on his face, the one she loved so much.

"If only I knew it," he playfully added before quickly pecking her on the lips.

"I guess you're right," she said after a brief silence.

"About what, Kitten?" he kissed her hair, without stopping the action of his fingers.

"There's no right time or amount of time. It only has to feel right and permanent or at least feel like something that could be permanent," she concluded after thinking about how she felt instead of how she was supposed to feel. He was indeed right. The way they felt about each other and the role they wanted the other to have in their lives should lead them to make decisions and plan their future.

"We do have time, Elena. I don't want you to feel pressured. I like that we're sharing your apartment. I like that at some point in the future we'll get married and have babies, preferably in that order. I'm okay with waiting for both for as long as you want but what we have right now, I think we don't need to change it. I don't need to go back to the hotel because you're not pregnant anymore. I like to feel you by my side when I go to bed and when I wake up. I like to share my life with you and I don't think that's too much even if we're only together for two months officially. It feels right and it feels perfect but I want you to feel the same way. If that's too much for you, I'll go back to the hotel," he moved his hand from her head to her waist, enveloping her with his arms.

"That's one thing I wanted to talk to you, Damon. You don't live in New York. As far as I know you have a house in Los Angeles. Your work base is there and I don't know what you plan to do when the movie is over," she snuggled a little bit more after she felt both of his arms on her, getting as closer to him as physically possible.

"That's something I also thought about before and there are a few alternatives and some things that are for sure," he explained, relieved to know that she was the one talking about what he also considered a touchy subject. He didn't want to impose his life on her and he was afraid that if he started this specific conversation that would be how she felt about it.

"And what are those?"

"As much as the headquarter is in L.A. and Hollywood is literally there, as a movie producer I can be traveling the world the whole year. I do have a couple of professional commitments I have assumed before meeting you and both of them require my presence in L.A. But who knows where the next project will take me?" he spoke slowly and carefully and watched closely what her reaction would be. It took her a few seconds until she finally voiced something.

"And are those the alternatives or the sure things?" she asked quietly.

"The ones I can't change. The alternatives are for you to travel with me on a few occasions and for me to give preference to scripts that could be filmed in New York or at least in the US,"

"Didn't you think about me moving to Los Angeles with you?"

"I'm not sure I want to live there. New York is closer to Raleigh and makes it easier for me to visit Stefan and Kat more frequently. I can even offer to babysit when they both have to be in Durham at nights," he suggested and as usual his grin grew bigger at the mention of his family.

"That makes sense," Elena agreed as she closed her eyes against his chest. Their conversation was definitely relaxing after yet another intense moment between them and she knew she would soon be sleepy.

"Would you?" he asked curiously.

"Move to Los Angeles?" she asked for confirmation and she didn't have to think after he confirmed it was indeed what he was asking.

"Absolutely. I've been thinking about it too. It was scary at first but then I thought I'm actually lucky for being a writer and having the flexibility I have because of it. Just like you, my job include trips, just like this one to Europe, so I guess it wouldn't be a problem if we decided to live in Los Angeles, Alaska, Hawaii or Siberia for that matter," she added but at the mere mention of her trip led Damon to stiffen under her and she could feel it. It was a sore subject that they'd been adding to the avoidance list. She knew he hated that she was going to spend seven to ten days away from him.

"Maybe we should do this more often," he smiled at her, trying to forget about her impending absence.

"Do what?"

"Share what we think. I think we're incredibly in tune with each other. We've been thinking the same things, came to almost the same conclusions. We're meant to be, soul mates, fated or whatever other expression they have, we shouldn't be afraid of talking, ever," he offered feeling relaxed to have come to their conclusion. He'd been so afraid the last couple of weeks. Afraid of losing her, not because of cancer, but because of something he did wrong, he was afraid she was going to push him away because of the false alarm and also because of the threat to her health. He was just relieved and happy that they were finally talking things over. He'd been so afraid of this particular conversation and now he realized he was just being a fool.

"I think so, but that's including telling what you think, fighting for what you want. You've been treating me as if I was china in your hands, Damon. I'm used to the strong-willed, arrogant man I fell in love. This submissive version is nearly driving me crazy," she smiled lightly hearing his smirk.

"You do love my cocky ass, don't you? Actually if I remember correctly you once said I wasn't arrogant, only realistic," he reminded her of their first date at the Italian restaurant. He would never forget that day. The day he discovered Elena Gilbert was a force to be reckoned with, that she was wild and didn't fear anything. Maybe falling in love with the womanizer as she also said to him that day. But that had been taken care of and he was happy he could break her walls.

"Sometimes it's unbearable but something that had always bothered me in men is their inability of stepping up and imposing their ideas. Of course, being independent and fierce I'll fight to impose my ideas,"

"So you want to fight? Is that what you want, Sassy?" he smirked lightheartedly and she only shrugged. "I don't like weakling people, Damon and that's an adjective I thought I'd never relate to you."

"I have to admit I've been walking on eggshells around you lately because I didn't know how you truly felt about the baby and the mass they removed. I didn't know if you were keeping a strong façade and breaking down inside or if you were things just as easily as it looked," he confessed the motivations behind his behavior and once again she turned to look at him.

"Do you think it's been easy to me?" she asked surprised by the revelation.

"I was the one who had a meltdown and you were the one who had to comfort me. I _felt_ weak compared to you, Elena. I felt like you were the strong one between the two of us," he ashamedly confessed and she actually detached her body from his and sat on her legs, by his side, looking straight at him.

"Damon, you've been there for me when we arrived home, you've been there for me when I received both bits of news, you've been there for me when I first saw Tyler after so many years. Since we've been together everything you did was to be strong for me when I couldn't. I remember few things of Sunday School at church but one of the things that I remember because I thought it was beautiful and powerful was something about two being better than one, because when one falls the other helps them to stand up. Just because it's my health at stake, it doesn't mean it shouldn't affect you. I know how devastated I would be if you were the one sick. And I know the disappointment of having no baby hit as hard on you as it hit on me. I don't expect you to be strong all the time. I don't want you to be there for me all the time because it implies I'll never be there for you. We'll be there for each other and we should just be thankful that we're taking turns on falling apart. If the two of us broke down at the same time it would be much harder to stand up. I love you and I love what you're doing for me. Don't stop being yourself because you're afraid it would hurt me or that I wouldn't be able to handle it. When your annoying personality becomes too much, I'll let you know, okay?" the smile she kept on her face as she talked about him and how he had been there for her actually spoke louder than the words she was saying. It was in times like these that he was absolutely sure that they were indeed the one for each other. They completed each other and the love they nurtured was so powerful and fearless that he didn't have any doubts the woman sitting by his side was the one for him.

"Okay, Elena Josephine Gilbert. You're definitely a very strong woman, one I'm proud of knowing and flattered for being mine," he smirked expecting her to protest about her full name but all she did was smile back at him and resume her place on his chest.

"As we decided for this honest, speaking out policy, would you mind to tell me what's in that envelope? It's driving me crazy since you put it on the table and then we moved here and you brought it with you. I'm trying really hard to think it's not the results because it doesn't make sense that it is the results, but I'd feel much better if I knew for sure," he confessed and she could catch the concern on his voice which led her to smile broadly at him.

"Sorry, I completely forgot about it. We made so many detours in this conversation and talked so much that I completely forgot to give your gift," she once again broke the contact of their bodies and stretched her body until she reached for the envelope that was now resting on the coffee table.

"My gift? For my birthday? Valentine's Day?" he asked as those were the two celebratory dates approaching.

"No, I'm not that ahead. It's still your Christmas present. I guess the first one around didn't count," she said with a bittersweet smile as she handed him the white envelope. He accepted it only to set it back on the table. He reached for her face and made her look at him and she was teary. He should have known that she didn't get over 'losing' a baby that easily.

"What we shared that night was something I'll never forget. That had been the night we decided to move in together, that had been the moment I envisioned a life with you, building a family. That was what you gave me that night and nothing can take that away from me, I'll take your extra present but that's what it'll always be for me, an extra gift," he reassured her but she wouldn't have it so easily.

"Those booties were only a symbol, Damon. I was supposed to give you a child..." she started but his finger sealed her lips.

"You were never supposed to give me a child, Elena. I will love it when we become parents, which is why I'll keep those very cute booties until it happens. Even if you didn't give me the real thing you gave me the possibility of having it and I didn't have it before you, Elena, and that's already the greatest gift someone had ever given me," he offered and the tears that had only glistered were now breaking through her eyes and falling slowly over her smooth skin.

"Do you think every time we'll discuss our relationship it'll be this emotionally charged?" she joked as he wiped her tears away.

"We _are_ intense, Kitten. What we have, our story, everything between us is emotionally charged and intense and I wouldn't have it any other way," he offered the smile she loved so much. She loved the smirk, the knowing and arrogant grin but nothing compared when his lips curled in such softness, sweetness and happiness. It filled her heart with the most exhilarating feeling because not only it was a beautiful smile but especially because it meant he was happy.

"I guess you're right," she agreed and pecked his lips.

"And I guess what you're just trying to say some minutes ago is the unchangeable fact that I _am _always right," he smirked arrogantly and despite her words she kept her content smile all the time, "I knew it was a mistake to awaken your ego, it should have let it hibernating for as long as I could have it."

"Nah… you made it very clear that I'm only realistic and being this on ground is actually a compliment," he shrugged and reached for the discarded envelope. He wasn't careful as he had been with the little box keeping the crochet booties, he tore the paper open quickly and a knowing smirk formed on his face as he raised his eyebrows looking at her.

"Vegas, huh?"

"We'll travel a lot and I wonder sometimes if one of us will follow the other but none of those trips would be romantic getaways because the one working will probably be very busy. So I thought we should do that trip we've mentioned a few times before," she explained and she was a little bit anxious to know if he had liked it or not as all he had done was smirk at her and Damon smirked to everything.

"And of all places you chose Vegas?" his eyebrow was arched and she wanted to brush that knowing smirk from his face.

"I've never been there…" she tried to explain but she knew she would never convince Damon with that.

"I guess it'll be more a sex getaway than a romantic trip and don't try to take advantage of me, getting me drunk and dragging me to Elvis. I want a traditional wedding, Kitten," he cockily offered and she rolled her eyes as he had expected.

"I wasn't trying to get you drunk to marry me, Salvatore, you're already whipped when you're sober," she shrugged as she moved to the other side of the couch, stretching her body and actually leaving a small yawn.

"I'll show you who's whipped, Missy," he said before jumping over kissing and tickling her in the process.

* * *

_AN: So it took a little longer than I expected to post this but I've been busy, May's been busy so I hope you guys are patient with me._

_I love this chapter, I really love, it might be one of my favorites in all my stories. They're great together and for people who had big issues coming into a relationship because one had never had one and the other avoided it as the plague I guess they're doing great, except for a few mishaps. The results come next and let's see if that are the only news next chapter will bring._

_Thanks a lot for the reviews. Thanks May, for editing the chapter._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	7. Every Little Thing Will Be Alright

**Real Life**

**Chapter 6 - Every Little Thing Will Be Alright**

* * *

Today was the big day for them and it wasn't because they were celebrating something huge or getting married. The hospital finally called by the end of the afternoon to let Elena know that the results were back and that Dr. Karev would be at the hospital until eight at night in case she wanted to go there today instead of the following day. She immediately let Damon know about it and they agreed he would leave work as early as he could and head straight to the hospital and if he didn't make it before eight they would be there together first thing in the morning. He didn't want her to do it by herself and she was actually grateful for the support.

She had been holding together the best she could the past few days but now that she knew she was about to find out the results she was getting more and more nervous. She felt her stomach in knots and she even thought she was going to be sick at some point. Only then she realized how much she needed Damon today. He had invited her to go with him to the studio but she said she had to finish packing as she was supposed to leave to Europe in the next afternoon. It was a good thing that she was able to postpone her trip one day. She couldn't go there without knowing what was going on with her and she didn't want Damon to be alone _and_ without knowing what she had.

She was still working on her suitcase when her phone came off and by the ringtone she knew it was him.

"Hey," she greeted as she answered.

"_How are you feeling?"_ he asked, forgetting to salute her. He was worried about her. She didn't sound very calm when she called him an hour ago.

"Good, I'm feeling good," she lied but she should have known she couldn't lie to him. She had no idea how he did it but he always knew when she wasn't being honest about how she felt. She also knew him a lot and she caught the many times he realized she didn't want to talk or didn't exactly say the truth but still he let go. But now wasn't one of those times.

"_Do you want to try that again?"_ he smirked and she smiled softly. Yeah, she didn't escape him.

"How do you even know?"

"_It could be the extra 'good' or the higher pitch of your voice or just the way you're playing with the hem of your clothes,"_ he offered and she actually looked around in their bedroom hoping to see him there but of course he wasn't. She would have heard him talking.

"That's not funny," she added defeated. She couldn't register the change in her voice and she thought her answer was pretty normal, no extra good, just two goods like she would have answered if he had asked about the weather.

"_I'm heading home. We were able to wrap up earlier than I expected. The weather actually helped because it's not __fun__ to shoot when it's snowing that hard,"_ he explained and she actually sighed relieved. It was still six and they would have plenty of time to make it to the hospital, which wasn't that far from her apartment.

"Good, I'll be ready when you arrive and then we can leave. Do you want me to prepare something for you to eat on the way? Maybe grab something at Villa's?" she asked and only talking with him was already enough to calm her down. In their first phone call she had to be brief because he was working and although she never liked to talk to him on the phone while he was driving even if he used the car's system to do it.

"_Which part of nasty weather __did you not__ understand, Kitten?"_ he smirked again but there was also a smile mixed on his features. He loved the way she took care of him even in the smallest things. He had mentioned that he would try to grab something to eat on his way to the hospital because he hadn't had time to have lunch and it made him happy to know she was worried about it.

"It's not that bad here."

"_Nice try, Kitten but I was shooting at the Central Park, so yeah, it's pretty nasty there too,"_ he said and she rolled eyes but not before moving around in the bedroom and reaching for her coat which she tried to put on making as little noise as possible, after all with Damon she never knew when he would guess what she was doing.

"We didn't do grocery shopping this weekend, there isn't even Cheerios in the cupboards," she said and then changed the phone from one hand to the other to get her arm into the other sleeve.

"_You're a lousy housekeeper, Ms. Elena,"_ he joked playfully while she buttoned up her coat and took her purse.

"Bastard," she retorted playfully and heading to the front door she realized she needed to hang up before she entered the elevator.

"_Feeling any better?"_ he asked and she knew he was serious now.

"As a matter of fact, I am, thanks," she confessed with a silly smile on her face.

"_I'll be there in less than ten."_

"Okay. I love you," she took the opportunity to show she was about to end the call.

"_Love you too, bye,"_ and with that they hung up and she still had to wait a few seconds for the elevator to reach her floor.

Elena was actually surprised at how cold it was outside and how the snow was closer to a snowstorm rather than just a snowy day to welcome February. She kept her curtains down the whole day and despite knowing it was snowing she didn't expect it to be that hard. Wrapping her coat tighter around her body she walked the few yards to Villa and asked for their afternoon special to go. She knew it would probably take more than ten minutes to have it done and she just hoped Damon got into some traffic because she didn't want him to arrive before her, although it would be clear by the food that she decided to get to ignore his warning.

But she knew it would be worthy. She actually thought Damon lost some weight and she wasn't sure if it had been because of his demanding work with the movie production or because of the problems they had with her condition. He had already made her feel better when he called and doing something for him made her feel amazing. She liked to show her love for him by doing things for him.

* * *

Just like she predicted she was walking back to the apartment twenty minutes later and she walked as fast as she could to make sure he would eat his French toast warm. She even got him a large hot chocolate cup, breads with cheese and pastrami. And she hoped her good intention would make him forget that she didn't follow his advice.

"I was about to call you," he said as soon as she opened the door.

"I was getting us something to eat," she innocently said.

"Even when I asked you not to go outside?" he asked and she was surprised that he actually sounded sad. Did she upset him that much by just facing a bad, but still far from 'nasty' as he had put it before.

"We can eat together while we drive to the hospital. You haven't had lunch and I was actually hungry too and see? I'm back in one piece, so nothing to worry about," she kissed his cheek softly before getting rid of her purse and bags of food. As soon as her hands were free she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him for long minutes.

He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head before, after almost a minute, dropping his lips to her own and kissing her gently. They broke apart but he still kept one of his arms around her waist while his other hand tugged some hair behind her ear, "I worry about you, Kitten. You've been in the warmth the whole day and going outside could give you a cold or even something worse," he looked every inch of her face, mesmerized by her beauty but also because he didn't want her to be sick, he didn't want to have any disease, no matter which one but especially the one they were about to find out the diagnosis.

"Thank you, Baby, I really appreciate your concern, now shall we go? I called Dr. Karev's office from Villa's and said we would arrive there in half an hour and that was ten minutes ago," she offered a forced smile as she was sure they would be late and he shook his head slightly.

"You're just too cute for words, Dr. Karev won't mind to wait a few more minutes," he kissed her briefly again before helping her to gather the food and take some utensils.

* * *

The drive to the hospital wasn't too long. There was the traffic of the beginning of the evening but they made it there a little over seven o'clock.

The receptionist asked them to wait a while because Alex got called in an emergency in the ER.

As they'd been eating the food on their way there, they didn't really have many chances talk and Damon could see that with each minute passed Elena was more and more nervous.

"You know at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what he's going to say, everything will be okay. If it's cancer we had been blessed to find about it while it was still in development and maybe you won't even need any sort of therapy. I made an internet research some days ago and there are plenty of different medications that can treat cancer that won't affect your fertility. Or maybe that was just something harmless and you're as healthy as you can be. Either way, you'll be fine and I'll be there for you all the time," he leaned down his head towards hers and whispered those words on her ear while both of his hands held and stroke hers.

"Do you think it'll be that simple if the results come positive?" she asked with her eyes closed as he kissed the side of her hair.

"I don't think, Kitten, I'm sure. That was what Dr. Karev said back at the day of the laparoscopy. We don't have to worry about anything, even if it was cancer. And that's what we have to keep in mind, there's nothing else on you. If that thing was bad or not, it's already gone and we'll take all the precautions for it to stay gone," he calmly said and for reasons he couldn't explain he was really tranquil about this situation. Maybe because he had been the one to hurt, worry, obsess about it for many days and back then she had been the one to convince him everything would be okay. She either did a great job at it or he just started looking at things more positively. Any way, he felt like everything would indeed be okay and all he needed now was for Alex to confirm it and Elena finally relax.

"Thank you, for being so amazing to me," she said as she moved her head to his chest and they stayed like that for long minutes until the nurse finally said Dr. Karev was ready to see them.

* * *

"I'm sorry about the wait, I know you've been anxious about it and having to wait almost half an hour longer to know about it was probably torturing," he apologized as he shook hands with Damon and Elena.

"Don't worry, Dr. Karev, we were good," Elena said to the doctor but her eyes were at Damon's and they both immediately smiled.

"Okay, so let's talk, take a seat," the doctor offered as he walked to his own seat.

"The biopsy showed what we already expected Elena. Only zero point five percent of fibroids develop into cancer and thankfully you weren't among those rare cases," he said with an honest smile. Alex felt like he owed the young couple some good news since their first appointment with him. He had seen how sad they were for the pregnancy news and how the cancer threat had taken a toll on them and he was happy to finally see happy smiles on their faces.

"Told you so, Kitten," Damon said as he hugged her.

"All your exams are clean and you're absolutely healthy," the doctor complemented and Elena thanked him.

"I'd like you to come back in a few weeks for me to check if the other fibroids are also growing. As I told you before, they're quite harmless but if you plan to get pregnant and they keep growing it'd be nice to remove the last three we couldn't do back that day," he suggested. Elena had eight fibroids, seven small and the big one and Dr. Karev removed five of them in the laparoscopy they did three days ago. The other three were too small and he wanted to follow their development to know if she was developing more fibroids than she should. They weren't close to the one they were concerned about and their shape looked perfectly normal.

"Of course, I'm travelin tomorrow and I might be back in a week or two," she explained while he looked at his schedule.

"Why don't you schedule an ultrasound appointment for four weeks from now?" he asked and she agreed.

"It's also important that you keep your visits at least annual, Elena, especially if you have an active sexual life. Everything was good but if there had been something wrong it could have been too late to treat it without any complications," he gently lectured her and she didn't even have time to answer before Damon spoke.

"Don't worry, Dr. Karev, since this scare she has been to all doctors she needed to make a visit to and I'm sure she'll see you a couple of times by year," her boyfriend offered and Elena felt tempted to roll her eyes. She should be thankful that at least he didn't mentioned that _he_ was the one assuring she would visit every specialty of doctor under the sky.

"Can I already restart with the birth control again?" she asked. She hated having to use condoms with Damon all the time like that. Of course they had bought literally dozens of them because they didn't want to ever stop sex because they didn't have a rubber or have him to release out of her. It was also a risk they didn't want to have.

"Now that the fibroid was removed your period should come back to normal. I'd recommend you to wait for a first natural menstruation before resuming pill but as all the results are clear, you can resume whenever you want," the doctor explained.

The couple exchanged a look and listening the rest few recommendations they left the hospital office relieved and happy for the good news.

"I don't mind wearing them," Damon said as they walked out of the hospital.

"I mind them, I like to feel _all_ of you," she said with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Well tonight we could try to end our stock and you wait until you come back. If your period doesn't come naturally you can start on them again," he suggested as he opened the hospital door for her. The weather was even worse than before and he didn't waste any time to bring her very close to this body and offer as much warmth as he could with his body.

"He said the pills only start to work after a week, so I'll start them in France if my period doesn't come this week," she said as they walked to her car as fast as they could.

As soon as they were inside Damon moved to turn the engine on but Elena held his hand, stopping his action.

"What?" he asked frowning slightly.

"Let's say I thought about a celebration in case the results were good," she kept her naughty smile from outside on her face and before he could make another question she reached for her coat pocket and let a condom pack unfold in front of them, "We may not be able to finish the whole stock tonight but I'm sure we can work on this one," she offered while Damon smirked taking a look at the six condoms, "Starting now," she wriggled her eyebrows and smirking back at her Damon let go of the car keys, "As you wish, Sassy."

* * *

_AN: so here is the new chapter, I hope you guys liked it. It was never my plan to make this story about a fight against any sort of disease. Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for the reviews and thanks to my beta, **May.**_

_xoxo_

_Babi**  
**_


	8. Dreams Are Part of Reality

**Real Life**

**Chapter 7 - Dreams Are Part of Reality**

* * *

Nine days. That was the time she had spent without him and some days she felt like she couldn't properly breathe. It was her first time in Europe and she couldn't find herself to enjoy her free time. Both Rose and Caroline traveled with her but she felt home sick. Or was it Damon sick.

She didn't admit it but that was what she thought too. They talked a couple of times every day but it wasn't closely enough to make up for the distance. Due to the time difference they didn't have a lot of time because Damon was very busy with some problems they had in the movie production. She invited him to meet her in Paris – where she arrived the day before – but there was no way they would allow him to leave the studio.

Although he didn't like to work on weekends he found himself forced to work a couple of Saturdays, the last one and the following. The constant bad weather led him to postpone many of the external scenes they had to shoot, which were a lot. Damon has purposefully left most of the night scenes to be shot during Elena's trip but what he didn't expect was for the snow storms to ruin his plans. They also had to shoot some day external scenes that were also canceled because of the bad weather. Regardless of Elena's invitation he had planned to travel to France to spend the weekend with her but his plans had been frustrated.

There wasn't anywhere Elena wanted to go with Caroline and Rose. Damon had visited most of those places and said he would love to revisit them with her someday. Somehow she wanted to live that with him first and kept her escapades with the girls as minimum. Also she hadn't been feeling very well. When she was in Italy she ate like a crazy woman. It reminded her of the food her own Italian – or sort of – used to make for her. And maybe it had been a little too much because her stomach was weird. She didn't feel sick but she didn't feel okay either. And now she was in France and she honestly never really enjoyed that much French cuisine.

So she went from eating too much to eating almost nothing and her stomach reacted even worse. The previous night she had decided on McDonald's and she was going with something just as much of a home comfort as the famous fast food restaurant today.

She also got a cold – which she secretly kept away from Damon – she could only imagine what he would say. He would fly from the US to Europe just to deliver a bunch of medicines and hire a person that made sure she'd take them every day. She didn't know if he was obsessed about her health because of the threat they faced or if it was part of his nature to worry about her. As much as he trusted Dr. Karev and he did, he wanted Elena to talk to Katherine. Elena didn't want to upset him, so she called the female doctor a couple of times before she left the US. Katherine was obviously shocked to know what happened in the last few weeks and a little bit hurt that they were only letting her know after everything was done. She wanted to be there for both of them but later Damon confessed it was important for them to do it on their own and that Elena also didn't say anything to her family or friends.

Katherine got a copy of all of Elena's exams on her e-mail and she was relieved they had chosen Dr. Alex Karev, definitely one of the best in her opinion too. She agreed with everything her fellow surgeon recommended except that she had been a little more adamant about Elena waiting for her first natural period. It was important for her body to get everything working properly on its own. Of course she also said that it was okay if she decided against it but she thought it would be better for Elena to wait and that she probably wouldn't have to wait too long as she spent weeks without having a period. Elena expected to talk to the kids too, obviously not about her health condition, but on both occasions Katherine was at the hospital. Katherine and Stefan spent a lot of time out of the house, especially because they lived in Raleigh and took their residences in Durham although Katherine also went to one of the Raleigh local hospitals, where Elena had called her on Thanksgiving. The older brunette worked giving special attention to babies born with severe complications. She was starting a specialization in neo-natal as soon as she was done with her residency and assisting or only watching attending doctors working with newborns gave her some experience. Elena was happy to know whenever she had children she could count on both Katherine and Stefan to help her and Damon in the health department. With the female doctor specializing in neo-natal and Stefan taking a pediatrics residency, she felt like her future babies would have the best health care in the world even if they lived in different cities.

And now all she needed was the doctor in the family to make a phone appointment and let her know what she should take for her cold. Her head ached and she suspected she had a fever, though not high. She felt like a truck had run over her body and she just hoped her stomach wouldn't reject the fast food she was going to order later. She definitely didn't feel in the mood to even leave the hotel and walk a few blocks, because of both her physical but also her emotional state that afternoon. And although at first she wanted to hide from Damon the fact that she was sick, even if it was just something trivial, she just wanted to listen to his voice again and to let him pamper her as he used to do when they were together. _God, how I miss him,_ she thought as played with her commitment ring but before she tried to reach him a noisy Caroline stormed into their shared hotel suite.

"This city is a killer, Elena. It's good for your bank account that you're pining for Damon and won't leave the room except to go to the libraries and do interviews," Caroline offered with her eyes closed, not seeing how her best friend was tearing up, no matter how much she tried to hold them back.

"Rose of course, found some charming Frenchie. Europeans… they seem to smell one another. Of course he thought her accent was cute and all I had left were the many stores with things I'm sure I never saw in the US," Caroline continued ranting and Elena wanted to say something but she couldn't.

The blonde was about to continue her monologue when she sat on the couch and looked towards Elena only then realizing how her friend was on verge of tears. "Lena, what happened?" Caroline asked jumping from her spot to sit by Elena's side, her arms promptly enveloping the brunette's shoulders.

"It's just… I'm so pathetic, Care. I'm in Europe going to cities that I've always dreamed of visiting, with two of my best friends along with me and all I can do is sit around and pray for the days go faster," Elena opened up and Caroline immediately felt guilty.

"Europe is overrated, Elena… Europeans even more so," Caroline offered and she was about to start showing her frustration again but looking at her friend she collected herself and focused on Elena, "I'm sorry that I keep talking about the cities, the stores, I had no idea it bothered you so much," she apologized but Elena shook her head in disapproval.

"No, Caroline, you're the right one, you're the one doing what you're supposed to do with your free time here. When did I become this pathetic girl? I'm not as tired as I say and I'm not writing as much as I say either. Actually I haven't written a word since we arrived here. It's just I miss him and I want to be with him and although I should be ecstatic about touring on Europe I just can't wait until I'm back in New York to be with Damon," Elena confessed and the first tear finally fell.

"After everything you went through all by yourself? I know you never really had a miscarriage and lost a baby but I'm sure the loss is similar. You thought you were pregnant, you thought you were carrying the man you love's baby. Both of you were happy and planning stuff and then not only do you find out you were never pregnant but you could also be developing a rare kind of cancer. For three weeks all you had were each other and your fear, your pain, your disappointment, your hopes shattered. I know you were afraid of being sick, Elena. And that was something you shared and lived with Damon. I still haven't forgiven you for telling me only a week ago but you two were in this together and just after finding out you were okay you came here. You didn't have time to heal, honey, that's okay and you miss him because he has been your rock those days. I'm sure you're relieved you're healthy but I'm also sure that everything you've been holding back finally was released and you were alone. You had me and Rose but this was about you and Damon. Now you're waiting for your period to start taking birth control again and tell me if you don't think a time or two how it would be if you didn't take it and tried to have a baby with him?" Caroline spoke softly, while the gently rubbed Elena's arms.

"Am I that predictable or does still fit in the pathetic category?" Elena sniffled and tried to smile but failed completely in the latter.

"No, it makes you human. You needed a few more days with Damon until you felt you recovered from everything, Elena and thinking about getting pregnant is nothing to be ashamed of. You don't look pathetic or whatever else might be crossing your mind," Caroline offered a smile and squeezed her friend slightly.

"Desperate, idiotic, stupid, weak, dependent… the list is long," more tears rolled down her face as Caroline actually felt for her friend. She knew since Elena finally confessed what she'd been through that her friend wasn't in the best place and that the excuses she made up for not going out with Rose and her were far from the truth but she wouldn't push. Somehow Damon had become Elena's safety system and she still needed a little bit of reassurance before her departure to the tour.

"Desperate to have a baby? No, you just lost one, it's not desperation it's the normal need to fill the void. Idiotic, stupid, weak and dependent because you can't enjoy the cities if he's not here with you? It just makes you a woman. You're in the best stage of any relationship. When everything is perfect and he's perfect and you feel the goose bumps, your stomach flip flops, your pulse fastens when you see him or hear his voice or even hear someone saying his name. It's natural especially after not being with someone for five years that you think Paris and Rome are boring and unappealing if he's not with you," Caroline said with a joyful voice as if she was stating the obvious and the obvious was actually a good thing.

"But I still feel awful," Elena pouted while she still cried.

"Maybe you're hormonal," Caroline shrugged and Elena actually sent her a deadly glare. "I mean, you didn't get your period for a couple of months, it's obvious that your hormones are all over the place or you're lacking any otherwise you would have had your period. It's natural that you feel different and think you're pathetic. Hormones are a bitch," Caroline clarified when she realized the look her best friend held on her face.

"I guess you're right," Elena sighed bringing her hands to her face.

"I guess I am. Why don't you ask Katherine? Call her and ask if it's normal for you to feel your emotions all over the place when your hormones are still unbalanced. You didn't get your period yet, did you?" the blonde asked and when the brunette confirmed she nodded, "How long Katherine said it could take?"

"There's no right time, but I should schedule an appointment if after the time of a complete cycle it hasn't come yet," Elena explained and Caroline was actually relieved that the two weeks Elena had been waiting weren't too much.

"So give it another two weeks and then you go to the doctor and ask him to do something about it. But regardless of the hormones, you're supposed to miss the man that was there for you through one of the most difficult periods of your life and the man that you love and just started a relationship with because you're on cloud nine, of course you're supposed to think everything sucks if he's not around," Caroline tried to reassure her friend and it seemed like she was finally being able to do it.

"So maybe I'm not a pathetic, desperate and weak girl, maybe just a hormonal pathetic, desperate, weak girl?" Elena tried to lighten up and Caroline actually smiled back at her.

"At least you have the hormones, what excuse do I have for trying to find a guy half way across the world? Pathetic, check, desperate check, weak, check, check, check and I'm not getting my period for another two weeks, so no PMS for me,"

"Well at least you're not trying to get pregnant, if you're two weeks from your period now would definitely be the time to try it," Elena winked and immediately wiped the tears that fell from her eye movements.

"Yeah, I still have some self-respect left… not sure for how long though," Caroline laughed and Elena actually followed suit as she kept wiping her wet face.

"Tonight we'll stay in and have a girl's night," Caroline suggested clapping her hands together.

"Care, I won't spoil your trip because I became a non-pregnant, non-cancer-sick, hormonal woman," Elena protested but of course Caroline wouldn't have it.

"You really didn't hear a word of my rant, did you? I'm tired, drained… I'm sure my feet are covered with blisters and thank God for the tub because I definitely need a relaxing bath after the damage I did to my credit card," Caroline started to vent again and this time Elena was actually able to give her inputs about the blonde's adventure in the city of the lights.

* * *

"So I've heard you've been hormonal. Is it a good thing that you stayed away for almost two weeks?" he teased as he hugged her when in the middle of the airport, late at night.

"And here I thought there was such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality," she smiled against his chest, with her eyes closed as they held each other for long seconds.

"Kat isn't your doctor and she _is_ my sister, so yeah, don't expect any confidentiality there at all," he said playfully but he also kept his eyes closed as he breathed in the scent he missed so much. Since she left he'd been sleeping in her bed, or theirs, like Elena asked him to start referring to everything in the apartment. He asked the housekeeper not to change the bed sheets and he hid a couple of clothes so she wouldn't wash them. He needed even a vanishing scent of her around him. He missed her too much - even while he held her in the middle of JFK airport.

They lost themselves in their embrace and they didn't care for anyone around them because it felt like there was _no one_ other than them in the whole universe in that moment.

"I missed you," she broke the comforting silence and her words made him let go of her body and cup her face with his hands, "I missed you too much," he whispered before finally meeting her lips with his own. It was a long and soft kiss that neither of them wanted to break. They'd been away from each other for eleven and a half days but it felt like eleven months. They craved for each other's touch and skin and now that they were together they were in no rush to break the contact, even if only the contact of their lips.

As the kiss wasn't deepened they found a way to breathe while they explored the softness of the red skin of their mouths, making the kiss actually last minutes. But after a while they finally broke their faces apart, only to find themselves embracing each other again. Damon kissed her hair a few times while Elena stayed quiet in his arms, her eyes closed, her cheek resting against his chest, her heart feeling like it finally arrived home. She felt like she'd been living on a bypass and now the fluttering organ pumping her blood felt alive again.

"I hate to break it short but we should be going, it's almost three in the morning and I have something that I'd prefer to give you sooner rather than later," he explained and she only nodded but didn't move an inch from his body.

But after a few minutes she finally let go and only then she seemed to process what he had said, "What do you mean? You know I'm not very fond of surprises," she offered but she was dying out of curiosity inside.

"Yeah, Kitten. You keep telling me that and I keep pretending to believe it. You love when I do something you're not expecting and that includes a surprise at three in the morning after you spent half a day on an airplane," he offered smugly and she was too tired to banter with him so she just stuck her tongue out before letting him take her luggage as they finally start to walk.

"Where are we going?" she asked when she realized they were moving far from the Upper East Side instead of towards it.

"That's for me to know and for you to dot, dot, dot…" he smirked and she rolled her eyes. She was indeed very tired from the flight. She had waited hours in the airport because of course, she had to leave when Europe had been hit by harsh blizzards and many flights got delayed or even canceled. Seeing how she was in more need than them to finally go back to the US, Rose and Caroline actually offered their tickets to her when they started to reschedule the flights and that was why she was already there while both her friends were hopefully coming back only on the following day. And that was also the reason why Elena was arriving in New York in the middle of the night.

She tried to be awake and pay attention to the route he was taking but soon her eyelids were just too heavy and she dozed off.

Damon looked in her direction and thought it was perfect that she was sleeping. But his mind soon drifted away from his plan and started to appreciate the woman by his side. She was beautiful, even if she was tired, there were slight bags under her eyes and her hair was in a messy bun, with tangled ends all over her head. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he had to police himself not to look at her too much and forget about the road ahead of them.

* * *

When they arrived at their destination he quietly hopped from the car and walked to the other side, trying to take her in his arms without waking her up. He was successful in his mission and struggling a little bit to open the door he finally got inside, warmness welcoming their skin and he could actually listen to Elena lightly snoring. He closed the door with his foot, carefully not to make any loud noise and then went upstairs, laying her on the bed. He lay on his side and propped his head on his hand before leaning in to kiss her and softly call her name. It took him a couple of minutes but he didn't want to wake her up abruptly. Her eyelids at last fluttered and she was a little bit confused but confusion soon was replaced by happiness as she woke up to see his beautiful face. It'd been a while since it happened and she relished that moment for a while, caressing his face and whispering silly love things.

"Are you wide awake?" he asked stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

"Yes, I'm sorry baby but I can't do it. You have no idea how much I want to do it, how much I miss making love to you and feel all of you but I'm exhausted," she explained and he actually chuckled before kissing her tenderly and briefly.

"That's not what I meant, Honey, though I can't wait for it either, I just wanted to know if you're awake enough to receive what I want to give you," he asked and she didn't waste any time assuring him so.

"I'm as awake as an owl."

He reached for the nightstand and took a big, thick white envelope before handing it to her.

"What is it?" she asked curious while she saw the biggest grin appearing on his face.

"Why don't you open and find out about yourself?" he suggested and she didn't blink before opening the unsealed envelope.

There were many papers inside and she took them all at once before discarding the envelope on the bed. Her eyes quickly examined the first page and she looked at him and then around the place where they were, trying to recognize it. It had to be the place the papers referred to and checking the address in the documents she finally looked at him.

"Is this Lea and Anthony's house?" she asked stunned but also absolutely happy.

"I guess the deed now says Elena and Damon, doesn't it?" the broad grin never leaving his face. It actually grew bigger, if that was even possible when he felt her throwing her arms around him.

"Oh my God, Damon. I don't know if I can't accept it. This is huge; this is a house in the Hamptons. It's more than I can accept. It must have cost millions," she sobered up after kissing and hugging him for a couple of minutes.

"Trust me, Elena, this is not about the money," he held her hand and squeezed it slightly.

"I know it's not but I can't ignore that fact. It's your birthday in a couple of days and still you're the one giving me a house, a mansion nonetheless as a gift," she rationalized but he didn't seem the least affected by her expected reaction.

"And why can't I give _us_, as my name is definitely also there, a house? This is the place where we made love for the first time. When you weren't drunk and I wasn't feeling like taking advantage of you. This is the place we both fell in love with not only because it's beautiful but because of Lea and Anthony's story. You asked me to make you believe you would live what they had someday. Someday is here, Elena, there isn't anywhere else I want to start my life with you," he explained making small stops to kiss her hand, just like she loved him to do.

"So this is something we should buy together. Let me know how much you paid and you can even discount it from my part in the movie or wait until the second is released because I'm positive I don't have enough money to cover even half of a house like this," she suggested. Of course she wanted to live with him in _their_ dream house and finally live their dreams together but she couldn't accept such a gift from her boyfriend. After all they'd been only together for a few months, that felt like years, but still, it was too much for her to say yes.

As if he could read her thoughts and knowing the woman lying in front of him, he spoke again, "Just ignore the many pages of red tape, look at the last one and check if you took everything from the envelope," he gave her the directions and although reluctantly at first she finally did as he suggested although she started from the end. In her euphoria to find out what those papers were she got rid of the envelope too fast to realize that still held some significant weight and Damon was actually happy that she started with the envelope instead of the last page.

If Elena could be any more shocked about what he had prepared for her, she was then as she finally reached for the small but heavy object lying in the bottom of the folded paper. Her eyes were tearing up as she took it from inside the envelope and looked at him, her brown irises looking more beautiful than ever. He nodded towards the pile of papers resting on the bed and her fingers quickly separated the last one, taking it from under the mount and reading it while tears blurred her vision.

_Maybe that's not something you'd accept. Maybe you don't want the deed to say Elena Josephine Gilbert. _

_But would you accept it if it said Elena Josephine Salvatore instead?_

_It can wait for it._

She read in the floral paper, with his beautiful handwriting in the middle of it.

"Will you marry me, Elena Josephine Gilbert?" he asked taking the diamond ring from her shaking hand into his.

"Of course," she said among many tears and a sheepish but ecstatic smile nevertheless. Damon who was also near to tears took the ring and rolled it down her finger and kissed it longingly before moving to kiss her as much as lengthily.

"So do you want to wait for it?" he asked when they broke apart after the long kiss.

"No, I don't want to wait for anything. I can't wait to be your wife and I can't wait to move in with you into our house. I can't wait for the rest of my life with you, Damon Salvatore," she said among her tears and pecked his lips quickly. "I'd never make you wait, Kitten," he answered before kissing her deeply.

* * *

_AN: here it goes. I love this chapter so much because I feel like they're finally moving forward for real. They made some emotional progress in the last chapters and of course not going back and moving apart again could be considered progress but not as much as being engaged. Originally this chapter would have a phone call with the kids and Damon instead of Elena's talk to Caroline but I felt like I wanted Elena to feel less of a strong woman if she couldn't enjoy Europe without Damon (I don't think she is, but it's HER character here to think she is) and I LOVE me some Caroline (btw her rant about Europe and Europeans is totally untrue, she loved both and was trying to be a good friend to Elena by diminishing both).The reviews for this story are still very disappointing (got 6 and 9 to last chapters) and while they sometimes help me to write faster, I'm not writing slower to 'wait' for more reviews but because I'm slow these days, I think that sort of negotiation or arrangement is unfair. But I'd love you do give me more. I guess the story deserves but maybe I'm wrong :P. Anyway, thanks a lot for those few who actually reviewed._

_I also want to give a special thanks to **May** who has been beta-ing my stories for a while and now due to her swamped real life can't do it anymore. Honey, I'll always appreciate what you did for me and I hope we can do it again in the future._

_And of course, **Avecia**, also deserves a special thanks for accepting to edit this story too, definitely a God sent to me!_

_ Those two girls are made of win and gold. Love you, girls._

_I have next chapter outlined (which is more than I had for this one) so I suppose it won't take almost three weeks again. And count that I won't give up on my TVD stories so they'll be completed, even if slower than usual.  
_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	9. Tomorrow Seems Too Far Away

**Real Life**

**Chapter 8 - Tomorrow Seems Too Far Away**

* * *

Damon and Elena didn't make love that night as she was really tired but when they woke up several hours later they definitely made up for the lost time. He was happy she had arrived in time for Sunday's morning and they could spend the day together. He didn't have to work on Sunday and although he was also tired from working until not many minutes before she arrived at the airport, he definitely had energy to spend the whole day in bed, loving her, if she was up to it. And she definitely was. It seemed like he was her special medicine. Her stomach issues and the pain in a few parts of her body were gone and she was yet to eat something so it had had to be Damon. She felt sicker than her body physically was and what she called home sick was actually Damon-sickness. She missed him. Laying in his arms she knew in that moment that her body physically and emotionally missed his. She felt great as if she had spent the last day in the spa instead of stressing over finding a flight and then spending too many hours in an airplane. Any discomfort she had was undone the moment he hugged her and she wondered once again how pathetic it sounded but in that moment she didn't care. She was with the man that made her happy and if her body literally need him, she would just accept it and enjoy the time they had together. And hopefully they would have a lot of time to make up for the almost two weeks they stayed apart.

"Are those sheets clean, right?" she asked after their second love making session.

"I guess we made sure they aren't, Kitten," he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"Wasn't this bedroom used in the movie?" she asked and he answered positively. "I just want to know if I'm lying where you know, you shot scenes…" she said almost shyly.

"We haven't been using the house for two weeks. Most of the scenes we're shooting now are external and the remaining internal ones are being shot in the studio. Do you really think I would make love to you in the movie's sheets?" he asked and the way she raised one of her eyebrows was enough as an answer.

"I mean, of course, I would, we definitely made love in much less hygienic or appropriate places but that's not my point. I bought us the house, Elena. This is actually my bed we're sleeping in, with my sheets, that are now both yours too as much as the rest," he explained and she actually took the time to look around. It was only then that she realized the bedroom decoration was very different from what it used to be before they renovated it to the movie and definitely very different from the movie scenario she saw the couple of times she visited him in the house.

"So you moved your things from Los Angeles to here?" she asked and he only nodded. "They were shipped a week ago and I kindly asked Linda to come here instead of the penthouse this week and get everything clean and tidy to wait for you," he explained.

"How thoughtful," she smiled, kissing him softly and quickly on the lips.

"The best for my girl. So do you approve of my bed or do you want to bring yours instead?" he asked looking suspiciously innocent but Elena knew very well why. His bed couldn't compare to hers. It was almost double the size and she was sure she never lay in a more comfortable mattress.

"You know the answer, Cocky," she slapped him playfully.

"As you may expect, I don't have a lot of furniture and I only brought mine here because we have room for both mine and yours and I'm renting my place in Cali. We can redecorate, combine both of our furniture, we can do whatever you want, Kitten, I don't really care how our nest of love will be built as long as you're here with me every day, it can look the way you want,"

"No, I want this place to be really ours. I want your signature here too. We can discuss furniture and decoration later I just want to enjoy spending my day with you and… it" she said looking again to the ring on her finger. When Damon put it on her, he hadn't removed her commitment ring but when they woke this morning, after they made love, she moved the rings and put the Claddagh ring to her right hand and left her engagement ring reining alone in her left hand.

"We're engaged…" she said in awe.

"That's the status when one proposes marriage and the other agrees, so yeah, I'd say we're engaged," he mocked her but he knew too well what she meant. He was as much as enchanted and surprised by the whole idea of being engaged.

"So the next time I introduce you to someone I'll actually say this is my fiancé, Damon Salvatore," she thought out loud with a small but sweet smile gracing her features.

"As much I am very excited to introduce you as my fiancée I can't really wait for people to start calling you Elena Salvatore… that's if you'll want to change your name," he quickly corrected himself. He didn't want her to have his last name just because he suggested it. He wanted her to have it as she pleased and although he'd love if she used his, he'd be just as happy if she kept hers.

"Why wouldn't I? I want to proudly carry your name," she offered a bigger smile and his quickly matched hers.

"Are you going to combine both or will you drop yours?"

"Yours alone, I'm not the dash-kind of girl, with big names, I'll have the next printings of my books to have Salvatore instead of Gilbert and will change my commercial name as soon as we make it official," she went a little further but she had already thought about it many times while she was alone in Europe. Of course she knew they would marry someday, they made it very clear to each other last time they discussed their relationship. She didn't know when it'd happen but she had a feeling it wouldn't take too much and if the engagement was an indication, she'd probably release her book already as Elena Salvatore.

"Really?" he asked surprised by her words but absolutely proud and happy.

"Of course. Thankfully the new book isn't being finalized and released until the end of the year, if not next year, but even if we don't get married until then, I'll have Elena Salvatore in the cover," she shrugged as if it wasn't that much of big deal but she could read his face easily and she knew for sure he was ecstatic about her wish.

"Don't you think that would bring problems to you? This is only your second book and people know you as Elena Gilbert…" he offered a few seconds later with actually a small frown.

"Nah, I'll get the publisher PR to schedule one of the morning or late shows. Maybe I'll finally make it to Oprah… if so I'll take the opportunity to let everybody know that it wasn't only my name that changed. You changed me, Damon. I'm a new woman, one I'm very proud of and one that is the happiest I've always been," she reached for his hands and offered him a reassuring smile that melted his heart. He knew they were cheesy and said those things to each other all the time and it almost bothered him. But he couldn't avoid or feel anything bad because of them. Those words were said from the bottom of their hearts. Both had been hurt in their lives prior to meeting each other and they had to fight their fears and life resolutions to be with each other and then a false pregnancy alarm and the threat of cancer. They were entitled to be corny.

"I'm flattered but you didn't change at all, you're still the amazing woman who hit my car."

"Because all I need to be carefree and happy was you to say hello," she lowered down her body over his and kissed him tenderly but soon they were kissing each other with passion.

"Do you have a specific season you'd prefer?" he asked a few minutes after they broke apart. As much as they wanted to keep making love, she was very tired and so was he. Talking to her in their new house, sharing the bed he had been sleeping in for the last four years and exchange sappy lines was definitely something he could do for the rest of the day and save sex for the night.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she rested her head against his chest.

"The wedding. Do you prefer any season?" he asked and she actually took her time to answer.

"Maybe we should decide where we're getting married before talking about seasons. It all depends of the city," she explained and he also gave it a little thought.

"Would you like it to be in your city? I don't see a point of getting married in LA, so I think we can either go to your city or just get married here," he suggested and she snuggled a little against his body.

"I think here would be perfect, I don't have a big guest list, unless you do," she moved her body around until she was entirely laying on him.

"And why can't New York have a big wedding?" he asked honestly confused by the relation between both things.

"I actually meant this house. We have that beautiful garden in the back. We could have the altar in the grass or on the beach. It's a beautiful scenario and I like the sound of it," she rested her head on her crossed arms over his chest.

"I could have a big list or a small list. The only people I want to make sure to be there are my family and my permanent crew who are like my second family. That's thirty or maybe forty people if I add a couple of old friends,"

"I probably have ten to fifteen guests that I want to be here. I left Mystic Falls too long ago and most of the friendships I had there are now acquaintances except for one or two high school friends," she thought and before she could avoid it, she was thinking if she should invite Tyler and Vicki. She was definitely inviting Jenna and Alaric and she didn't see a reason why she wouldn't invite Matt. Would it be awkward if she ignored their niece and brother? She never held grudges against Vicki and she had a difficult time letting it go but after Damon came into her life everything changed and while it could be weird, she could do that. They were happy and she was finally happy and she had no problem sharing her happiness. Tyler wanted her to be happy, part of him actually felt even worse knowing she didn't find the same happiness he did although he had been the one to do bad things. Yeah, inviting them was a way to finally put it behind them and give them both closure. But it wasn't closure about their relationship, it had been long cemented when she broke up with him. It was closure to the pain it caused them both, even if she hurt much more than he did.

"Would you mind if I invited him?" she asked knowing she didn't need to say his name.

"Why would you want to?" Damon clearly showed his disturbance at the topic.

"They are somehow family. Their uncle, who was their guardian when they were minors, is married to my aunt. Her brother is one of my best friends. I don't want every family reunion to be awkward and ruined because there is unresolved business between all of us. He moved on, I moved on. They're happy, I'm happy. Although what he did hurt me, it also hurt him and he felt horrible about it. They probably won't come but the gesture could bring us peace in the future," she explained but she could feel how Damon's body got stiff under hers.

"That's your decision to make," he briefly said and she knew he wasn't happy about it with only that answer.

"No, Damon, this is about you and me. We're talking about getting married, there isn't I or you anymore, there's only we from now on, especially when we're talking about our wedding. I'm not the only one getting married and this wedding should be what we both want it to be," she softly explained and although her tone was gentle he knew she wouldn't have it any other way. Her determination combined with her selflessness was something he couldn't measure or thank enough for. She made it very clear that inviting the people that hurt her the most to the most important day of her personal life was the last line she needed to write in that page before turning it. But still she wanted him to make that decision with her. It didn't matter how meaningful it was for her, she would only have it if it didn't bother him.

"The only thing I care about is waiting for you to walk down the aisle and say I do when the priest ask you to do it. I want to make you my wife, Elena. The world around us won't exist anymore the moment I see you and I'm sure you'll be the only thing I'll see that day," he explained but she knew he was avoiding answering her question straightly.

"I think we should think of warmer days. Getting married outside in the fall or the winter is not the idea I have in my mind," she purposefully changed the subject and took the chance to answer his previous question. She was going to let him think about it first before she pushed him to tell how he really felt about it.

"So I'd say spring or summer," he took the bait and he knew very well she was letting the subject go, probably for his sake.

"Which are just here," she said a little bit concerned. She knew organizing a wedding – even if small – was a hard task. She'd been there and done that before.

"There's always next year," he suggested but she shook her head immediately.

"I don't want to wait for longer than a year. It's all too sudden and things with us move very fast but I already found my peace with it. I don't want to waste one more day or week, let alone a whole year. We want this, we are sure of it, we should just do it," she showed yet again the determination that enchanted him. He was really proud of the strong and fierce woman he was going to make his wife soon. More than any words could say.

"You seemed frightened by the idea."

"We're mid-February. The summer goes until September, seven months have to be enough to get a marquis, a priest, a few benches and flowers and hire some catering," she said but in her mind she was already enlisting the rest of the things that included outfits for both of them and the bridesmaids, invitations, someone to play some music, because she definitely wanted music in her wedding no matter how small it was.

"At least we won't have to worry about reserving places," he added and she smiled at him.

"We only need suppliers, I'll let Caroline know about the news tomorrow and I'm sure by the end of the week I'll probably have a list of at least ten names for each service I'll need to hire," she chuckled thinking of how her best friend would go nuts with the wedding organization and would definitely make sure to take care of most of it and to throw her an unforgettable shower.

"So September it is?" he asked seeing how she was looking more and more excited.

"I'll let you know by the end of the week," she winked having some ideas already going on her head.

"I love you, Kitten," he said stroking her silky hair.

Elena who was almost miles away in her thoughts thinking about a thousand things looked down at him and smiled broadly. Nothing else mattered, music, food, flowers, it could be worked around. She never dreamed of her wedding day again after everything she went through with Tyler and all that mattered was the man lying under her. There would be no perfect ceremony if the man she was going to give herself to in marriage wasn't him and with that in mind she kissed him again, knowing that September definitely looked too long for her to wait.

* * *

_AN: How much do you guys want to read about wedding organization? I lost interest in many stories that went through the details and I think it's kind of boring to read but maybe that's only me. Let me know if you think I should go through that or simply jump to the wedding (or just ignore the many things she'll have to check and simply focus on the other things they're doing while she's taking care of the wedding)._

_I wish I could have answered your reviews (don't stop them because I didn't, please, please?) but fanfiction won't let me and as I read a few other stories other authors are having the same problem. I heart and thank you all for you kind words, any questions I'll answer in the subsequent AN._

_Special thanks to my quick and efficient and wonderful beta, **Avecia.**_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	10. Let Me Be The Man Today

**Real Life**

**Chapter 9 - I'll Make You Feel Like A Woman**

* * *

The excitement Elena felt on planning her wedding to Damon couldn't be measured up or put into words. She felt all giddy and Caroline matched her every feeling. She had been with Elena for the past five years and she had seen her best friend struggling to recover from what Tyler did and to rebuild what he broke. At some point the blond lost hope that the writer would actually move on and start over. And now she couldn't be any happier to see Elena so radiant and ecstatic. It even helped her get over her own pathetic personal life, focusing on her friend's wedding would probably help her to be less anxious about finding Mr. Right. Maybe for other girls in her place it would only make it worse and lead her to be more depressed but that wasn't who Caroline was. She was happy for her friends' accomplishments and happy as much as she would be for herself. Especially if that friend was Elena Gilbert. Caroline used to say that nobody in the whole world deserved to be happy more than her best friend did.

Elena's newly found cheeriness also helped her with the book. She was trying her best to start taking care of the wedding plans and to make good use of her inspiration to write but her main focus was Damon's birthday. It was crazy but also a good thing that she didn't have a nine-to-five job. She wanted the first birthday they shared to be special. Hers would be in a month but in the between there was Stefan's and Elijah's birthdays. She talked briefly to Katherine in the morning who confirmed she was doing a huge party for the blonde's third birthday and if she wanted they could celebrate hers too. There were only five days between the three people's birthdays and Elena actually considered it would be great to spend some time with his family. Hopefully by then there wouldn't be much – or any – work for him to do with the movie and she hoped to extend their visit there for a week and then head to visit her own family. It would be great to be closer to her family than she had been in the past years and she already loved the Salvatores too much, especially the small ones, not to include them in her hopefully more constant family getaways.

She didn't want to do anything fancy for his birthday and everything Caroline suggested involved sex and seduction. She didn't want that either because they had a very active and creative sex life. She would save the sex filled celebration for when they needed to heat up things between them, probably too long down the road seeing how they were nearly addicted to making love to each other. She just wanted something special and intimate. Damon had taught her again what intimacy was. She shared things with him that she never felt or experienced in her whole life and she just wanted something like that. But what would do it? It was actually Rose who came up with an idea that she kept improving and now she felt like she had something to start with.

They were still living in the penthouse because Elena didn't want to move to their house until they got married. She knew it was stupid but she wanted their first night as a married couple to be in the house and although they had plenty of sex there the afternoon she was there, she was deleting that little piece of information and keeping her bubble intact. She was going to start a new life, with a new man, in a new house and the future never looked brighter. Also she was positive she was going to get a lot of gifts to their house and only after accommodating them all in the house she was going to see what else she wanted to change. Damon's and hers style of decoration couldn't be any more different. He had good taste but while she preferred more modern interior design, he preferred classic and she wasn't sure if they could mix both. There was also the fact that despite the house being renovated recently, it still had something classic about it too. Maybe they shouldn't take anything from her apartment, except an object or too she was more attached to, and buy everything else they needed in the new house. She could rent her penthouse with all the furniture as she didn't have the heart to sell the place she had been so proud of buying with her money alone.

But just because she wanted to save their new house for when they were already married, it didn't mean they couldn't visit sporadically, on special occasions such as his birthday. She was going to worry about the wedding in the following week, after her doctor's appointment. There was a small concern in the back of her mind about her fertility. She didn't know why she was thinking about it but both Dr. Karev and Katherine said it was expected for her body to resume its proper working and her period was suppose to come naturally at some point. But it had been nearly a month and nothing. The reason why they advised her to wait for it before she started with birth control again was to make sure there was nothing wrong with her body. But it was taking too long and she was already getting worried. She thought about pregnancy but she and Damon didn't have unprotected sex since she found out she wasn't pregnant. There was this odd feeling that she couldn't brush off but she wasn't going to think about that yet. She had an appointment in a few days and she hoped everything was okay with her. She felt much better now, being back in the US solved all her physical illness, she didn't need any doctor for that diagnosis – she was indeed Damon-sick.

But now she was close to him again and she couldn't be more excited about his birthday. She wasn't sure of everything she would do but she definitely was looking forward to use her house keys for the first time. She felt like she was almost stealing a moment they should share when she came back to the house and made yet another tour. Although there was none of the furniture she saw the first time she had come there, she could still feel the warmness and relate to everything those walls witnessed in the many years they stood there. It was like there was something in the air, maybe a smell or something but even the fact that Damon's furniture filled most of the rooms in the house, didn't take away what enchanted her the first time she had been there.

It wasn't about the objects but about the stories Jessica shared with them. She could imagine the young couple getting old there and seeing their family grow up. The house somehow screamed family. Maybe because of the many bedrooms or the swing in the backyard. One thing she definitely missed was the frames hanging on the wall by the staircase. Jessica had a big family and she supposed all of them that met Lea and Anthony used to be represented in those pictures. For a moment she wondered about she and Damon filling the very same wall with their children and someday their grandchildren. She didn't care that they were dating for just a few months and she already had a diamond ring on her finger. Everything with him seemed to right and perfect, there was no reason for them to wait for the right time. The right time was now because she wanted to share those things with him. There wasn't anyone else she wanted to be in the picture by the top of the staircase other than him. He was the man that restored her dreams and added so many more. Looking again at the beautiful ring he chose for her, she felt her eyes tearing up. They were going to get married, probably in the summer, preferably in the spring. They were going to get married and someday start their own family and write their story in the same house that seemed destined to shelter such love and dreams.

She loved that man more than she thought possible. As she passed by each of the many bedrooms and bathrooms in the second story she couldn't stop thinking how much she loved him. Jessica had seen it so easily back at that day. She remembered when he took her in his arms and dragged her to a bedroom before they headed to the master suite. She loved him and she loved that place and she would never forget their first time on the beach. Of course they had sex the night they met but that was the one night she was going to keep with her forever and maybe someday shared with her grandchildren – keeping it all PG, of course. She wanted to fill that house with little Damon's and maybe little Elena's but she was definitely looking forward to having their children inherit as much as possible from their father. The infertility fear quickly crossed her mind again but she wasn't going to let it destroy the tender moment she was having as she walked into her dreamy house. _Her_ house. _Their_ house. Suddenly she couldn't wait for the weekend to come around already and for them to be there together. Thinking of it while she stood there, waiting until they got married sounded like stupidity. She couldn't wait to share that house with him, to see his mesmerizing blue eyes and his charming grin as they do any domestic and ordinary thing. Like him cooking for her. She loved it when he cooked for her and as she held a content smile on her face she thought about the perfect night for them.

It was a good thing she decided to go down there one day before the day she saved for his birthday surprise. She hoped the place would inspire her and if it didn't she would certainly go with Caroline's sexy escapades but Elena was a romantic person at heart even if she hadn't practiced or believed in romance for a very long time. She gave many surprises to Tyler back when they were together – one of them that actually made her decrease her shame by being abandoned by her fiancé. At least she was the one who called the wedding off. Damon was restoring things that she didn't even remember. The reason why she hated surprises for so long was because of her big disappointment when she found out Tyler was going to leave and that was why she said to Damon she didn't like them. But the blue-eyed man was right when he disagreed. She used to love surprises and it was a nice feeling to feel up to keep surprising the man she loved and she loved when he did it for her too.

She stayed in her safe and happy place for another hour and checked a few things she would probably need and then she left. What she had planned wasn't big or extravagant but she didn't need those big gestures when she was with Damon. The small things in their relationship were what made her the happiest and she had a feeling he felt the same way.

* * *

Damon had had a hell of a day. He really couldn't wait until that movie was finally and officially finished. It wasn't because of the movie itself. He loved the story they were telling and the actors delivered exactly what he expected them to deliver. The timing was what he had a problem with. He wanted to be with Elena for a month or two, be lazy at home, schedule their trip to Vegas and just enjoy his newly found happiness by her side. The movie was so consuming, his hours were crazy even if he did his best to keep his moderate rhythm but with the many delays because of bad weather and his slower and unfocused work for the two weeks they waited for Elena to have the laparoscopy and write off the cancer threat, really messed up his plans. And the worst part was that he was probably going to take four to six weeks to finally wrap up production and relax. And he needed to relax. Next month was Elena's, Stefan's and Elijah's birthdays and he didn't want to be a zombie while celebrating some of the people he loved the most in the world.

He was exhausted and need the break but especially he needed Elena. It was finally Friday and at least he managed not to work this weekend. After all his birthday had been two days ago and any celebration he might want to have would have to be done Saturday or Sunday as he arrived pretty late the whole week. Elena asked him to let her know when he would leave the studio as an attempt to be awake when he arrived. Unlike the other days he was home before nine but she wasn't in the penthouse. It nearly broke his heart but when he finally entered their bedroom the red sheet of paper on their bed and her sloppy writing put a smile on his face.

_There's a healing, relaxing, luxurious bath waiting for you. Don't forget to hit play on the stereo. I love you,_

_Elena_

And she wasn't exaggerating at all in the description of the surprise she prepared for him, although he would have enjoyed it much better if she was by his side. The music in the background was classic, one of his favorite styles and she of course chose his favorites. Nothing too loud, just soft song after song. When he stepped out of the bathtub over thirty minutes later and reached for the white towel another red paper fell from it when he unfolded the soft fabric to cover his body.

_I'm sure it helped. But I'm not done yet. Open your side of the closet and dress up for me, Damon Salvatore. I can't wait to see you,_

_Elena_

There was a smirk on his face. She sounded like the bossy Elena he loved, even in her written words that were supposed to be sweet as he already figured she prepared some surprises for them to celebrate his birthday. He wasn't complaining. It was nice to be spoiled by someone for a change and she definitely knew him well to pick every little thing right.

He finally moved to the bedroom and was surprised to see his tuxedo hanging on the inside of the door. When he brought his furniture to New York he also got all of his clothes delivered and he wondered if Elena was curious to see him dressed up or if she planned something fancy. There was another paper waiting for him in the jacket's front pocket and he was absolutely surprised by the words. He already had his car with him for weeks now but she was so thoughtful that it touched him.

_There's a limo and a chauffeur waiting for you downstairs. I hope there's no traffic anymore because I can't wait to kiss you,_

_Elena._

It didn't take Damon too long to know where he was headed out. Of course she would be waiting for him in their house. He wouldn't have it any other way. No fancy restaurant or famous chef would come close to their house. That was their spot, their nest, where their dreams would come true. There wasn't any other place he wanted to be with her other than there.

* * *

It took him a while but the car finally stopped in front of their house near eleven in the evening. The lights were all on and the house looked beautiful at night with the extra lamps on. It was a magical place, one that he felt was reserved for him and for Elena long before they even met.

He didn't knock on the door and when he entered the house he could hear soft music again, though this time it was Norah Jones or something like that.

"Finally, I thought you wouldn't make it here, you definitely took your time," Elena announced her presence as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a beautiful white dress. It was definitely fancy but it had a beach air about it. She probably planned for them to go outside at some point. But it was still too cold in mid-February and she just wanted to be comfortable with the fabric flying around her perfect frame.

"You spoil me," he said as he offered his hand for her when she approached the last two stairs.

"You deserve much more," she said and there wasn't time for any other word as their lips brushed each other's. They kissed like there was no tomorrow, it was intense and deep but not as passionate as other kisses. It was filled with love and affection and sooner than they wanted they stopped to get some air. It wasn't unexpected to either of them as their lips broke apart their bodies got even closer as he held her in his embrace.

"Thank you, Kitten, that's just perfect," he whispered.

"You deserve much better, Dan," she offered with a smile on her face, "But now it's time for dinner," she said breaking apart totally and stretching her hand for him.

He followed her towards the back yard but instead of getting outside they went to the dining room that faced towards the beach. It was a beautiful night, there was no snow, though it was very cold and they could spot a few stars in the sky and the new moon was like a faint brushed line hanging in the dark blue canvas.

This part of the house was totally dark except for the two candles lit over the set table for two. Everything looked beautiful and cozy, just like Damon loved it.

"It's been a while since I cooked for you. I saw this lamb recipe on a TV show the other day and I remembered you said you love lamb meat. Don't worry I did a sample of this yesterday and it was actually edible," she offered almost sheepishly and Damon couldn't grin any broader. He felt like his lips would touch his ears.

"It's perfect, Elena," he said kissing her gently and briefly on the lips before pulling out a chair for her, "I can't even thank you enough," he said as he moved around the table and sat too.

"Good thing you don't have to because I love you and it's my job to make you happy, especially on your birthday," she offered and he reached her hand, kissing it tenderly as she loved him to.

"Mission accomplished."

* * *

_AN: Sorry for the long delay, I'm working to make it faster._

_I wanted to do things all the other way around. Normally - stories and real life - woman are spoiled with those things but it was Damon's birthday and his work is consuming him and Elena is trying to be who she was before Tyler broke her. I raised something that I'll explore more in the next chapter. Also I'll continue from almost where we stopped here._

_Thanks a lot to my amazing beta, Avecia, and all the kind and great people who reviewed last chapter._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	11. Hello Dreamland

**Real Life**

**Chapter 10 - Hello Dreamland**

* * *

Their dinner went well. Damon didn't remember a time Elena had cooked something as delicious as the lamb. It wasn't a simple recipe and he couldn't brush off the smile from his face. She was everything a man could dream of and some more. She asked him not to think he didn't deserve her and he was trying his best to keep his word but he came to the conclusion no man really deserved the angelic creature sitting across him at the table.

"That must have been the best meal I've ever eaten in my life, Elena," he showed his appreciation as he helped her to collect the dishes from the table and put them away in the sink. They wouldn't clean the dishes tonight but leaving everything on the table would be a little bit too much.

"I doubt that, but thanks, Dan," she smiled shyly. He always said things like that to her and while she was used to some he still found a way to make her blush.

"I mean it. Had you cooked for me the first time I went to the penthouse, it would have spared me from fighting the growing love I had for you," he added as they discarded everything on the sink and turned to head to the living room.

"This is your gift, happy birthday, Love," she added handling him a small, square package.

"You didn't need to buy me anything," he answered opening the simple gift wrap. Much to his surprise he found out an original first edition of his favorite book, Gone With The Wind.

"Elena… this is… how did you? It must have cost a small fortune," he answered bewildered by the considerate and special gift. He had told her once that someday he would have a whole section on their bookshelf of original first editions of all his favorite books. He already had some, mostly from the last fifty years but he had no idea how she found it.

"I'm a writer, I have my ways," she smiled coyly. It had been an expensive gift but after buying a house for them to live after they were married, all money she spent on him would still fall short. It wasn't as difficult to find, it actually came across her as Rose made a remark about someone selling that and other books' first editions. The guy inherited them from his mother, who inherited them from her grandfather and so. But as his older son got sick with a rare disease, he didn't think twice about selling the little treasures kept in the family for over a century in some cases. Elena was touched by the story and wanted to do something for them and she would do something, if not in the movie's release maybe in her second book. But now she couldn't and she wanted to give something special to Damon. Actually she checked Tommy's collection and there were at least eight books among Damon's favorites. She couldn't buy them all at once but Tommy and Shirley had been nice enough to reserve them for her. She could afford three books and in addition to Gone With The Wind, she bought Anna Karenina and War and Peace. Leo Tolstoy was one of his favorite authors and she was just sad to know Tommy had already sold Pride and Prejudice and The Great Gatsby, also among his favorites, although the last was sold for over fifty thousand dollars and she probably wouldn't have been able to buy it anyway as she already paid as much for the Margaret Mitchell novel.

"You do know at some point you'll have to start buying me ordinary gifts for special dates, right?" he asked but he couldn't look at her, mesmerized by the rarity in his hands.

"I'll do my best to postpone that day," she held a big smile seeing how he was really happy for the present.

"Yeah… but where does it set the bar for me?" he looked at before wrapping his arms around the woman he loved and who - as each day passed - seemed to be more and more perfect. It wasn't about the expensive gift or the fancy dinner but the fact she cooked, the fact she paid attention to him when he shared something so trivial as his favorite book in a completely different day from mentioning his old dream to have this shelf of books someday. It was more like a luxury he wasn't sure he would be able to have, not only because of the high cost but especially because such things were very difficult to find.

"This is me, Damon. I like to do those things for you. You gave me a house…" he looked at her frowning slightly and she knew why, "You gave us a home, the place I dreamed of, that would take me a while to buy and I'm not even sure I wouldn't have to sell my place to buy it. That's worth a lifetime of special, fancy, expensive but especially priceless gifts. For my birthday next month, my favorite flowers will be just perfect," she said before leaning her body on his and cuddling with him on the couch.

* * *

They talked for long minutes about many things and Damon tried to hide the fact that he couldn't for the life of him remember what her favorite flowers were. He wasn't even sure she ever mentioned because he would have remembered if she did.

She invited him to go upstairs with him for dessert and he actually thought she didn't mean it literally but was positively – though a little bit disappointedly – surprised that she had actually made a chocolate cake for them to eat in bed. He soon realized he didn't need to be disappointed because there was no reason for any other sort of dessert not to be served later.

It was over one in the morning when they finally finished eating and the kissing they exchanged between forks of cake were becoming more and more frequent until all they wanted in their lips were each other's skins. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes for things to escalate. They used to say they wanted to enjoy the never-tired-for-sex phase in their relationship. Both of them doubted they would ever slow down their sexual appetite but Katherine had been very graphic to say otherwise. Pictures that none of them – especially Damon would ever remove from their minds. He didn't need Katherine to provide any details about her sex life with his brother. But getting too tired for sex was far from happening to them. They were still absolutely crazy about each other and couldn't their hands to themselves. Soon there were no clothes separating their bodies anymore and they could release all the passion they had for each other. Elena surprised him with one of those condoms that shone in the dark – a red one – and Damon laughed briefly as her expertise on pulling it down on his hard member soon made his smirk vanish, being replaced by a deep moan. Of course she made a spectacle of just doing it.

The act drove him crazy, although most times she was the one taking care of the condom, and before she could blink after finishing her work he had turned their bodies around and attacked her body with open mouth kisses and love bites. He didn't care if he was going to leave marks; that woman drove him insane and he just had to savor her in every possible way. His movements were nearly rough but Elena enjoyed his wild side especially because even then he made sure to not hurt her. Damon didn't like the association of sex and pain and she wasn't a big fan of it either. One of the many things they were just perfect for each other. She was surprised when instead of teasing her with his fingers or mouth as he usually did, he just checked if she was as wet as he expected her to be and without further notice simply thrust his hard erection inside her. It was primal and passionate and she couldn't remember a time when he had been so thirsty and hungry of her.

Her moans were soon invading the quiet house and she couldn't stop chanting his name. That was definitely the best sex they ever had and it couldn't compare to any sex she had before him. Their bodies moved in synch, their sweat matching the hotness they felt in their bodies. It seemed like they were trying to cross fire. The intensity of their love making led her to clutch her nails into his back and it definitely marked his skin but neither of them was thinking about it then. They felt like they needed to consume and be consumed by each other's touch and body and that was just what they did. Damon didn't slow down to prolong the act. It was frenetic and desperate and soon they were releasing their orgasms, almost simultaneously.

"Oh God, Damon," Elena screamed and her body was still trembling when he groaned deeply. The sound nearly drove Elena to another release. She didn't know what led them to have such a wild and strong experience but she knew for sure she would always be up to a re-run.

"I see my Kitten became a Tiger tonight," he chuckled several minutes later when he realized the damage her nails did to his back.

"I'm sure there's not anything I can compare to you, tonight. No animal, no force, no person. It was mind-blowing. You definitely rocked my world, Dan," she smiled against his chest as he stroke her hair mindlessly.

"That's all you, Mrs. SS. you do things to me and my body that I can't comprehend," he smirked knowing a question would follow.

"Mrs. SS? That's new?" she giggled but she had an idea of what he meant.

"Mrs. Soonish Salvatore," he explained and her vicious giggles filled the room. And his heart.

"Happy Birthday, Damon," she kissed the side of his neck softly and tenderly.

"Thank you, Honey," he answered by kissing her head and soon they were both sleeping in each other's arms.

* * *

Elena knew planning a wedding was complicated and difficult but she didn't have any idea of how much. What was the mystery with hiring some catering, florists, finding a priest or someone to say a few words and get invitations sent? It seemed like rocket science and it wore her down more than writing any book through a writer's block. The dress had been the only easy part about it and she was happy with the strapless, full A-line gown with lace-up closure. It had beaded embellishments flourishing throughout the bust and created glistening dual bands edging the ruched bodice. The skirt wasn't too voluminous and the tight corset accentuated her tiny waist. She totally ignored the fact she was going to have an almost beach-wedding. She should definitely go for something more casual to match the kind of ceremony they were planning but she also wanted to look sexy for her groom and she had dreamed of a fabulous dress since she was small.

She couldn't wait for the summer and wanted a spring wedding but finding suppliers and services for two months from then was really difficult but she didn't give up and Caroline actually helped her and surprisingly so did Katherine. Her future sister-in-law said she wanted to take care of the personal pictures and let Elena choose another photographer for official pictures if she wanted. Elena pondered for a couple of days about needing it or not before deciding to go for it. She wanted the intimate pictures she knew Katherine would take but she also wanted the official ones – with Katherine included in them. She didn't care about recording it but of course Damon did and that was one of the few things he was going to take care of – in addition to his clothes and the music.

It made matters worse that Elena didn't have a date, just the month. She didn't want to keep changing the date according to the suppliers' availability so she was taking notes of their schedules for the weekends. She knew she had to book them as fast as possible because if she took long many of the ones she liked would already have their spots taken by someone else. To say the last couple of weeks had been stressful was an understatement but she knew it would be all worth.

She was working in her Excel worksheet crossing the available dates when her phone rang.

"Hi, Baby," she kept a cheery voice trying to keep from Damon how stressed she was.

"Hi, Honey. Things in the studio are a little bit late but I'll make it to the hospital. Why don't we meet there instead of me picking you up?" he asked and Elena couldn't believe she had forgotten her medical appointment. If anything the rush of the wedding planning at least helped her to forget about concerns she had about her condition. Of course it still crossed her mind once in a while but knowing that she completely forgot about her follow-up appointment showed her she was really had emerged in Bridezilla land.

"Of course. I'll meet you there, if you want I can call Dr. Karev and ask if there's a problem if we're late," she suggested also omitting the fact that she forgot about it. It wasn't like she wanted to keep things from him but Damon was yet to wear down from his overprotective ways and with all the stress she was under she didn't have as much patience to let him become preoccupied about every little thing.

"It won't be necessary. I think I'll be able to leave in ten or twenty minutes but the studio is closer to the hospital and I think I might even make it there before you do, I just don't think it's enough time for me to pick you up and be there on time," he explained and she nodded while closing her computer file and getting all the papers inside her wedding folder.

"Okay Baby, see you in thirty. I love you."

"Love you too," he answered before hanging up.

* * *

Damon indeed arrived before her, especially because Elena had to change into presentable clothes before heading out but she made it on time for her four-thirty appointment.

They had to wait for another ten minutes but finally the secretary announced her name and they entered the doctor's office.

"Elena, Damon," Alex acknowledged the engaged couple before sitting down and started to ask questions about how Elena had been feeling. She commented about her stomach problems while she was abroad but he quickly told her it was normal to have problems adapting to different food, especially after a difficult situation like she faced just before her trip. She mentioned that she had felt absolutely fine since she returned to New York and that she was feeling a little bit more tired those days but once she revealed she was planning their wedding – with such a short notice – he smiled informing her she looked more sane than he expected from someone who was facing such a challenge.

"How about any pains?"

"None."

"Did you have your period already?"

"Actually I didn't," she said slightly biting her bottom lip.

"Well the amount of stress you've been through for the wedding planning may have been a factor but I want to make sure everything is okay, of course. We'll run some blood tests to see if you still have a hormone deficit. I think everything is normal, you didn't report anything that could evidence something else. I have to do the ultrasound to follow up the remaining fibroids development and see if they're responsible for it," the doctor explained and she only nodded trying to cover her anxiety from the Damon the best she could.

"Shall we?" Alex asked when she didn't seem to understand they were going to do the ultrasound already.

"You don't need to wear the horrible gown today. I'll just expose your stomach and you will be done, okay?"

The doctor warned her about the cold temperature that she was already used to and a few seconds after he started the examination he frowned and moved his chair to the side desk to check his files. Damon and Elena quickly exchanged a look filled with anxiety and a little bit of fear.

"Is everything okay, doc?" Damon asked.

"Yeah…" Alex answered absently and taking some more seconds before finally looking to the couple, "I was checking the dates Elena came here. You came for the first time at January tenth and we did the laparoscopy at January twenty-first. You came for the results on January twenty-fourth and now on February twenty-first the follow up," the doctor thought out loud while he looked at the screen and took some notes.

"Everything is okay with you, Elena. Actually you couldn't be healthier. Everything is going according to the schedule and I think even to your plans," he offered a smile to put her at ease when he realized the young couple seemed more nervous than they should be.

"Are you back on pill?" he asked realizing he only asked about her period, forgetting if she was taking the medicine or not.

"No," she answered while he smiled and moved the pads on her stomach, adjusting something in the machine with his free hand.

"I'm now suspending them, okay?" he offered another warming smile and she nodded.

"Do you think the pills will cause any hormonal problems?" Damon asked although he was relaxed too knowing she was healthy.

"No Damon, they normally help but in Elena's case they won't," the doctor offered but before the couple could voice another word a throbbing sound invaded the room and Elena and Damon once again exchanged looks, though they were now confused and nearly hopeful.

"Congratulations, Elena and Damon, according to my calculation and the pictures, Elena is eight weeks pregnant. You're going to be parents!"

* * *

_AN: I hope it was worth the wait. A few people guessed it right. Next chapter I'll explain why when they thought she was pregnant the results came negative and how she got pregnant if after that day they only had protected sex. Thanks a lot to all my reviewers, can't wait to know your thoughts. Special thanks to my always kind beta, **Avecia.**_

_xoxo_

_Babi  
_


	12. The Crazier, The More Normal

.

**Real Life**

**Chapter 11 - The Crazier, The More Normal**

* * *

"We're having a baby?" Elena asked while she felt her eyes moistening.

"Yeah, I'd say the conception date was maybe the day you came here for the first appointment. Take or give a couple of days which is why no test or exam would tell you so. When you came back for the laparoscopy it was still too early in the development stage and I couldn't have seen any evidence in your uterus but now everything is clear and definitive as sunlight. Can you see it here?" the doctor asked to the couple that was too shocked to answer, just nodding in response.

"That's your baby. He or she is almost an inch but you can already see the arms and the legs here," he doctor pointed to the small limbs barely noticeable from the larger mass, "This is of course the head and the slightly darker little points are the eyes," the doctor said after moving the pads a little bit to provide them a better view from the head.

"It's beautiful," Damon said in awe moving his eyes from the black screen to look at Elena. While he was tearing up she was already crying – though those were joyful tears – and never finding her more beautiful he leaned down and kissed her softly, "Our baby is here," he whispered.

"I took some pictures for you and the ultrasound was recorded. I'll wait for you in the main room in a couple of minutes," the doctor said before cleaning Elena's belly.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Karev. I have no words," Elena said though her voice was hoarse, the many emotions she felt being too much for her speak normally.

"I'm just the messenger of good news," the doctor offered another smile before leaving the couple alone for a moment of privacy.

"Tell me this is really happening and I'm not dreaming in our bed," Elena turned to Damon the moment they were left alone in the room.

"If this is a dream I don't want to ever wake up. But it is a dream. It's my dream. What I dreamed for us. We're going to be a family," Damon answered bringing her to his body, as she sat on the edge of the bed, keeping him between her legs.

"This is so…" Elena started but she was too emotional to come up with definitions to that moment.

"Perfect as it should be. We're having a baby just like we prepared ourselves for a few weeks ago. The names, the clothes, the blanket…" he added but stopped there getting also very emotional remembering the day they came back home with their dreams destroyed.

"Dr Karev said the conception day was probably when we came here but we didn't have sex that day and from there on we used protection so you were indeed pregnant when you came here the first time, just the way it was supposed to be," Damon offered after they broke their embrace a moment later.

"Probably the Saturday night?" she asked remembering how exhausted they were on Sunday to actually make it. Though if she remembered correctly they did it in the morning but she didn't know for sure if it had been on Saturday or Sunday.

"We should head out there," Damon suggested and bringing her to land on the floor he kissed her softly before they joined the doctor.

"Elena, you're ten weeks pregnant. We usually count it from the last period, but as you didn't have one for a very long time I'm adding the two usual weeks we add. As you may already know the first trimester is risky and factors like being on birth control pills for too long, stress, first pregnancy among others can lead to a long list of problems, including miscarriage. I'm going to prescribe the vitamins you need and I have a new bunch of questions for you now about how have you been feeling. Anything that I don't ask and that you experienced more than three times, please mention. The baby is as healthy as it can be and I don't see anything wrong with you or the baby," the doctor explained while Elena kept nodding her head in understanding and Damon held her hand.

"Are there any precautions we should take?" Damon asked a little big concerned.

"No, Damon, as I was saying the facts that can compromise a pregnancy at this stage are mostly fatalities that can't be avoided by any precautions. They are also sudden most times but if you experience any sort of bleeding or pain in the area, contact me immediately and if possible come to the hospital. I'm just being extra cautions. Normally I don't stress those possibilities too much because I understand this is a happy and special moment for the parents-to-be but Elena had a condition before that we don't know exactly the full extent of. The symptoms caused by the fibroids were quite the opposite women normally have. One of the fibroids developed into something we couldn't identify further than a mass. I honestly don't believe Elena has more chances to have complications than any other woman with the same profile would have," the doctor's firm voice reassured the couple in front of him and they were thankful for hearing those words. They didn't want to stress over something normal that could alarm them and they wanted to pay attention to the things that were really important in case they happened at all.

"Do I need to prescribe you any medication for morning sick or fatigue?" the doctor started with the pregnancy related questions and within ten more minutes he was done with it, doing a couple more of recommendations to the engaged couple.

* * *

"Two more weeks," Elena offered a smile to Damon as they walked through the hospital corridor holding their hands.

"We don't really need to wait, Elena. We could share it with the closest people to us. You already made through most part of the first trimester without even knowing you were pregnant. Everything will be okay. We can wait if you want or we can break the news to my family and yours," Damon reassured his fiancée while he held a happy and pride grin on his face the whole time. He probably looked like a fool. A damn happy fool though.

"I want to wait. I don't want to risk it," a nervous smile crept on her face and Damon stopped them in their tracks and cupped her face in his hands. "We already had our share of scares about your health. I know this was not like in the books or in the movies that the girl gets pregnant and the morning sickness and the home pregnancy test make it obvious and they lived happily after ever. Complications exist in real life and we faced a couple of them and we had our disappointment of having a baby and then not. But here we are, _having_ a baby after all."

"It's just that's it's scary to know the baby was already two weeks old when they did the laparoscopy. What if it hurt the baby, the egg or whatever it was at the two-week stage?"she voiced the feelings she didn't to the doctor because she was afraid of the answer.

"Then I'm sure Dr. Karev would have mentioned the possibility. He talked about things he usually doesn't talk because that's a moment for couples to celebrate not to be warned about potential miscarriages and complications. He would have said anything if the procedure could have harmed the baby. He said it looks healthy and that you are healthy too. We don't have anything to worry about, Kitten. We should just be what we are supposed to be right now," the insistent grin appeared on his face again and it actually made Elena smile more happily.

"And what is that?"

"Be insanely, uncontrollably, exultantly happy and of course celebrate it," he said just before bringing his lips down to her to kiss her gently.

"You're right," she finally smiled honestly and he sensed it, being satisfied with it. He didn't say those things for her sake. That was how he felt and that was how he wanted her to feel too. Incredibly happy for the baby they were going to welcome in a few months.

"I always am, Kitten" he winked moving one of his arms to rest on the bottom of her back as they resumed their way out of the hospital.

* * *

Elena decided that she could share it with Katherine, Jeremy, Jenna, Rose and Caroline but she wanted to tell them in person and have a small event for it. As Rose and Caroline lived in New York they were the first to know about the baby Salvatore on the way. Although Damon met both women just a few times, Elena made sure Damon was with them at the dinner they had two days after her doctor appointment. The whole restaurant heard Caroline's scream when Elena finally broke the news before the dessert and Rose even shed a couple of tears. Their best friend was finally going to be happy with her man and baby and that made Rose and Caroline deeply and truly happy for Elena. It had been a long time since Caroline had seen Elena genuinely happy and Rose had never seen her like that, although the younger brunette was really radiant when her first book was finally published. But it couldn't compare to now. The then small shadow in her eyes was replaced by a contagious shine.

Jenna was surprised to know Elena would travel in to visit for the weekend but very happy still. There wasn't any celebration around, except for Elena's birthday but still that was a few weeks away. She already knew about her niece's engagement and she also knew about the fibroid and false pregnancy alarm scares, so she didn't expect it to be related to that either though she was going to be highly surprised. Elena invited Katherine and Stefan to go to and bring the kids with them to meet them in Mystic Falls. She didn't want them to only meet at the nuptials happening in two months if everything was to go according to her plans.

* * *

"Oh my God," Elena said to Damon as they sat on the couch watching a movie.

"What?" Damon asked confused as nothing big or surprising happened in the always predictable romantic comedy his fiancée insisted on watching.

"The wedding!"

"Don't they always get married in these sort of movies? Or at least walk off into the sun together?" Damon chuckled while shaking his head slightly.

"I mean our wedding. Actually I mean my dress!" Elena clarified nearly panicked.

"What about your dress that I'm sure will put any bride before you in shame?" he changed the chuckle for his usual smirk and added a quick wink in the end.

"I'll be four to five months along," she sighed disappointedly and Damon actually frowned a little.

"I don't want to sound insensitive or stupid but what's the problem, Honey?" he asked as softly as he could. Elena had a very asymptomatic pregnancy. There was no morning sickness, excessive tiredness or hormonal roller-coaster. But that was until now he feared.

"I can't wear my dress if I'm showing, Damon. That was a purposefully sexy and tight dress I chose. How am I supposed to look sexy in a tight dress with a protruding stomach?"

"Tight and sexy, huh?" he did the eye thing that usually set her on fire but she was too busy having a minor meltdown over her perfect dress to notice it.

"There's nothing sexy in showing very clearly to everyone how I couldn't wait for the dinner before eating the dessert," she added dramatically and Damon had to use all his self-control to stop him from bursting out laughing. But he had been studying his role in their pregnancy and he knew better than laugh in her face when she seemed dead serious worried about a dress. Damon may have taken a couple of lessons on expectant women but he certainly skipped the planning wedding lessons.

"You'll look sexy in a very tight Victoria's Secret set for me later that night, Sassy. I don't mind being the only one to have the view," he tried to be funny and supportive at the same time hoping that it would help her but it only made her more frustrated.

"I even ordered the dress already," she exclaimed and pouted, leading Damon to bring her face to his and kiss her loudly.

"I'm sure there's something that can be done. If not with this dress maybe with another one. Maybe a new concept? Something a little bit more motherly?"

"I don't want to look motherly on my wedding day, Damon. That's the very problem,"

"So maybe we could postpone it until after the baby is born? But how much can you show in two months? There's not even a faint bump on your waist yet, maybe you'll just look a little curvier and nothing more," he realized that she was really upset by that turn of events.

"It depends if I'll be Victoria Beckham or Mila Jovovich and we're definitely not postponing the wedding. The only thing worse than eating the dessert before the dinner is bringing the ice cream to the main course, also after the baby is born I'll probably be fat for a couple of months if I'm Victoria or many of them if I'm Mila," Elena looked even more frustrated and Damon was even more lost. What was up with the many food analogies? And what happened to this Beckham woman and Mila Jovovich? He didn't know how to react or what to say because he didn't want to be rude or show how clueless he was when she clearly hoped he supported her and preferably found some solution.

He quickly moved his hand to the bottom of her back and drew circles knowing it was a good thing to do to pregnant women according to the book he was reading. It bought him some time before he finally found something that wouldn't at least make more damage. He didn't know at this point if it was Elena or him that was overreacting but the truth was he didn't want to risk hurting her with something that seemed so simple in his mind.

"I'm sure Caroline already thought of it and probably has the perfect suggestion to give you and she's only waiting for you to realize that you would have to change your plans but being the smart girl she is, she knows bringing up your weight and starting a crisis wouldn't be nice, so she's waiting for you to bring it up. Call her tomorrow and I'm sure she'll have the answer you need," Damon offered kissing Elena's head but reaching for his phone on the coffee table, while he also took his glass of soda – he wouldn't drink if Elena couldn't, especially wine that was what they used to have when she wasn't pregnant and they were watching movies.

"You're totally right! Thanks, Baby, I love you," Elena said kissing his cheek softly with a smile already gracing her beautiful features.

"Love you too, Honey," he smiled slightly frightened by what just happened, especially when she reached for the remote control and moved two scenes back in the movie.

"I didn't pay attention," Elena clarified when he looked curious at her.

Damon was about to say she had already seen that movie three times since they were together and probably many others before it but seeing what just happened because of the dress he just smiled again while he used his free hand by the opposite side of where he held Elena to type a message to Caroline. It was a good thing that he could type on his cell phone with his eyes closed and taking a brief read on it before adding Caroline's name, he sent it. _Find a gown for a pregnant woman. Best find at least five options. Elena will call you in the morning, hoping that you'll have the perfect dress for her._

It didn't take more than thirty seconds for him to hear the alert saying he got a new message.

_So she finally realized it? Thank God, I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to refrain myself from telling her the obvious. Don't worry, I already have six options to show her tomorrow, all from the same place where she ordered her dress._

Damon read the message and he couldn't believe that it actually happened. He looked at Elena and offered her a smile while she ate the popcorn rapidly her eyes fixed on the screen only moving to meet his when she felt he was smiling at her after reading his text message and promptly moving back to the movie.

He then moved his eyes from her and looked up thanking God or the angel that whispered that in his ear. Just then Damon realized he was going to buy all books available on the market and read them pretty fast. His fiancée was _definitely_ pregnant.

* * *

_AN: I'm sure you guys are used to this pace of updating every two weeks. For the readers of my other story, please be patient. I should have posted it today but I'm visiting my mom and my aunt is pretty sick so I'm not in the mood to write though I only need to fill up with a few details before sending to Avecia to edit it._

_Thanks a lot for all the reviews and I hope you guys enjoyed my humble attempt into writing corny, light, funny things. I hope it wasn't ridiculous or just juvenile :P Also thanks a lot to my amazing beta **Avecia** who edited this chapter to me with so many things going on in her real life._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	13. Just Like in The Movies

.

**Real Life**

**Chapter 12 - Just Like in The Movies**

* * *

The big day finally arrived. Not fast enough for Elena, who would never have cared that much about weight on her wedding day if it wasn't for the pregnancy hormones. She cried ever time she had to fit the dress and it didn't help that she was feeling more like a Mila Jovovich rather than Victoria Beckham. Which was also something the hormones convinced her of. Damon and Caroline tried to reassure her that only the people who actually knew she was a pregnant could say she was four months pregnant. There was a belly, of course, but it was small and she didn't gain a lot of weight in the rest of her body but her eyes were in danger of giving her away with being so red and puffy all the time.

"She won't stop crying," Caroline said as she broke into the room where the men were joking and laughing while Damon got ready for his wedding day.

"Is it because of the dress? Doesn't it fit?" Damon asked feeling uneasy. It had to be the dress, right?

"I don't know, she won't say anything. She just cries and say unintelligible things," Caroline offered, "Kat, Rose, Jenna, everyone tried to talk to her but she won't listen," the blond concluded and she looked like she was going to start crying as well.

"Is she already wearing the dress?" Damon asked and Caroline only shook her head, "She refuses to put it on, I was barely able to work with her hair and she already ruined the make-up."

"Go ahead and make sure it's not where I can see, I don't want to give her any more reasons not to wear the dress, I'm going to talk to her," Damon announced although he had no idea of what was going on and why Elena was behaving so uncharacteristically.

The blond did as she was said and in a couple of minutes Damon was entering the bedroom they would share from that weekend on. He couldn't believe they were going to move to their house in the Hamptons already. It was a dream coming true. Jenna was just about to leave but Damon could hear her last words.

"I'm the one who has a giant watermelon in my tummy, Elena. There's no way I'm wearing wear high heels when all I want is to eat ice cream in the comfort of my bed and you don't get married. So you bring that cute ass of out of his bed, put that beautiful dress on and get married to that insanely hot man, okay?"

"I'm flattered for the insanely hot, Jenna," Damon announced his presence with a small smirk.

"He's an asshole, but a hot asshole who impregnated you before your wedding, you better as well enjoy that body of his," the blonde tried to make her niece react, maybe crack a small smile but Elena didn't move from the window sill.

"Kitten," Damon said softly as he approached her. He was yet to finish getting ready and he only had the dress pants and his shirt on, a few buttons still to be buttoned and no shoes yet.

Elena was still wearing her pajamas. She had a mild bachelorette party with the girls the night before and didn't change into new clothes when she drove from the penthouse to the Hamptons. They didn't plan to do it earlier because Elena was pregnant and so was Jenna and they couldn't do any drinking anyway.

When Elena didn't acknowledge him, he knew something was definitely wrong with her. Moving to her side, he took her in his arms and moved her to the bed and the tears that had barely dried from her eyes were present on her face again. Damon sat on the bed, with his legs stretched while he rested his back against the headboard, bringing Elena to rest against his chest.

"I never thought I would get married someday. It was just never part of my plans. I didn't think I was family material until the day I met you. Then everything changed, faster than I could understand. The saddest thing about someone is when they don't have any dreams and I didn't have any before meeting you, Elena. A lot of people include 'dreams coming true' in their vows or speeches but making dreams come true can't compare to giving them to someone in the first place. I'm living a dream because of you, Kitten and I won't ever be ready to wake up from this dream," he said softly while he stroked her hair quietly.

"I never thought I'd have a family someday that wasn't Stefan, Kat and the kids. I even thought that was why Gabriel looked so much like me, you know. As if God was giving me a chance to know the feeling of having someone looking like you. I was content with that scenario, it was okay because I love those kids as if they were my own and they love me more than they love Stef. It was a perfect plan. I wouldn't ruin anyone's life by being their real father and it wouldn't bring pain to anyone," he continued and Elena felt her tears intensify. Damon deserved so much more than that. He'd make a wonderful father and any kid would be lucky to call him daddy.

She moved her hand to his face and caressed him softly. "You deserve it all, Dan," she said and her voice was just above a whisper.

"I don't know if I deserve it or not, Elena, but I know that you're the only one who made it possible," he kissed her hair and smiled quietly at her.

"I thought I didn't have a right to dream anymore. I thought I did something seriously wrong or just that those things weren't for me. I thought there was something wrong with me. Maybe worse than not having dreams is to believe they died and that you weren't entitled to have them," she offered as she wiped some of the tears away.

"Isn't this talk a little bit too morbid to have on our big day?" he smirked moving his hands to her waist.

"Is it really coming true? I'm pregnant, and we're getting married in less than an hour or am I in a parallel universe?"

"I know it may be hard to believe, especially after everything we've been through together but this is our happy ending, Kitten," he smiled genuinely and she followed suit.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"With you by my side? No, fear is a word I don't know if you're with me."

"I know the feeling," she turned to face him, while she straddle him but without any sexual implication.

"It doesn't matter what the priest says, what any document says, it doesn't matter what we'll say later. I'll always be with you," he looked at her doe brown eyes, mesmerized by her just like he had been the first time they made love.

"You're all I need, Damon. You're all I need to face everything in my life. All I ever need is to look at you or feel you holding my hand to know that nothing will bring me down," she smiled and they kissed slowly and softly. The feeling of his lips on hers made all her fears go away, just like she described he would. Although Elena never made it to the wedding day with Tyler, she had been close enough. She couldn't help the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to happen. And it didn't feel like a good thing. She didn't know if it was because of her pregnancy hormones or because of who she had been for so long before Damon came to her life but it was hard for her to believe today was going to be the first day of the rest of their lives.

"And if it does bring you down, know you're not alone. Sometimes things won't be easy. I don't know what kind of surprises life will bring to us tomorrow, Elena but I know we'll face it and we'll get over together. You'll never be alone again," he said as they broke the sweet kiss.

"I love you," she said moving to lay on his chest a little bit more, the tears and the fears all gone but not the everlasting need to be close to him.

"I love you too," he whispered, kissing her head yet again and breathing relieved that everything was okay.

* * *

They stayed in the room for another ten minutes, just lying in the bed while they said nothing, just caressing and touching each other.

"I better go before Caroline goes crazy outside. I suppose she'll have to help you with the make up again," he smirked seeing how the mascara stained her face.

"Yeah, I guess I'm going to be the cliché bride that arrives late to her wedding, even if it's in her house's backyard with not even fifty guests," she chuckled.

"You're entitled to do everything you want, Kitten, cliché or not, just please don't go all runaway bride on me, okay?"

"You're not going to escape me, Damon Alessandro Salvatore, today you'll be officially hooked," she winked while she stood up, stretching her arms to help him stand up though they both knew she needed no help.

"My pleasure to be hooked to you, Soon-To-Be-Mrs. Salvatore," he winked before leaving the room.

"What's wrong with her?" Jenna asked when Damon returned to Jeremy's old room to find everyone there, waiting anxiously for him.

"I don't know I never asked," Damon informed them and the way he moved to finish getting dressed showed them the wedding was still on, "You have more experience in this than me, that's my first time around a pregnant woman," he tried to enlighten the mood but everyone could see he had cried while he talked to Elena. Some of the things they talked about had crossed his mind earlier that day and a few days before. He knew where she was coming from. He understood her fears but like he honestly confessed, if she was with him, he wouldn't be afraid of anything. All he needed was her and the rest they could figure out together. He had indeed cried a little while he was with her, both happy and sad cries. As much as Elena may have forgiven Tyler he would always hold a grudge against the man that hurt Elena so much and her pain was his pain and he really felt bad for her. But he was also happy that they were finally leaving the sad chapters of their lives behind them.

"Except neither Jenna nor I got married while pregnant, your moron," Kat slapped him playfully in the back of his head but everyone in the small room was nervous.

"Wait until labor day, big bro," Stefan followed his wife's lead but Damon only smiled weakly back on them.

"Well I'm going to resume my duties as maid of honor and help her get ready. I suppose there's still a wedding, right?" Caroline asked deeply confused about what was going on.

"Yes, Caroline, there's still a wedding," he smiled softly, "I think the same duty falls on the best man, Stef," Damon looked to his brother.

"And that's his not subtle way to ask all of us to get the heck out of here," Katherine announced, "Also I need to make sure Rose and Anna didn't let the kids kill them," the brunette said before leaving the room. Jenna and Alaric also headed out, to her old bedroom because she needed to sit if she was going to stay stood for the whole wedding.

"Are you okay, Damon?" Stefan asked when it was only the two of them again.

"I'm fine, baby brother," Damon said quietly.

"And Elena? Is she okay too?"

"I guess she is now, Stefan. Finally, it was overdue for a few years if you ask me," Damon added with a bittersweet voice and continued getting dressed.

"It was overdue for you too, Damon," Stefan patted on his brother's back who was finishing his shirt's buttons.

"Was your wedding day this melancholic too?" Damon smirked taking his shoes and socks.

"No, but I'm not the one producing movies, Dammy. As much as you may think medicine is dramatic, it's nothing compared to Hollywood," Stefan joked and for the first time since Caroline came into the bedroom half an hour ago, Damon smiled like he used to. Everything would be fine, that was just the script of his life.

* * *

"You look absolutely beautiful, Elena. Damon won't be able to take his eyes off of you," Jenna offered as she saw her niece in the white gown. Elena looked flawless, the dress fitting her perfectly in all the right places. It was a strapless gown of flowing satin, embroidered with beautifully exquisite lace across the bodice which clung tightly to Elena's chest. It flowed outwards from under the bust as the bodice loosened managing to disguise as best as possible Elena's almost unnoticeable baby bump, but maintained the shape of her tiny waist. The dress dipped across her back and from one look from behind Jenna could barely tell at all that her niece was carrying a child – although this was also likely a result of anyone who laid eyes on the back of the dress being drawn immediately to the dramatic train of the dress which spilled out like a waterfall of more lace and diamante decoration. It was both austere yet extravagant at the same time but most of all the dress was the epitome of elegance and everyone in the room could see that Elena was meant to fill that gown, baby or not. Her hair was curled and down because she knew Damon loved her hair like that. The big diamond earnings and complex necklace didn't steal away the beauty in her face, covered with little make-up.

"Nor his hands, please, Elena, don't be one of those newlyweds that get drunk and make out in the middle of the reception. That's rude," Caroline asked and Elena actually heartedly laughed on her friend.

"No alcohol for me, Caroline," Elena pointed to her belly.

"But with Damon you never know," the younger blonde shrugged while Jenna and Elena laughed.

"It's time!" Jenna announced excitedly as if she was a teenager but she couldn't hold back her happiness for her niece's wedding.

"Actually it may just have to wait a few minutes," Katherine entered the room and Elena immediately knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" she asked as she felt the feeling in the pit of her stomach coming back.

"Stefan happened. I can't really believe how stupid my dearest husband can be sometimes," Katherine showed her annoyance with her angry tone of voice.

"What did he do?" Jenna tried to calm Elena down by running her hands up and down the bride's arms.

"He called the jerk that goes by the name of his father," the older brunette nearly shouted.

"Giuseppe?" Elena asked confused, "Is he here?"

"Of course the son of a bitch wouldn't miss the chance to ruin Dammy's big day, I should have hired a security team and distributed his picture to them ordering to seek and destroy."

"What the hell are you doing here? You have no right to be here, I didn't invite you here," Damon yelled at his father in the room he was going to make his office when they moved in.

"I couldn't miss my son's wedding day."

"You don't get to call me son! You missed my whole life, _Father._ And if I'm lucky enough to have a bride who loves me and who is willing to marry damage goods like me, it's not thanks to you. You always hated me and made sure to point out each and all of my failures and mistakes. News flash, Father if you came here today expecting it to be another disappointment you may just need to leave. Elena loves me and I love her and we're getting married today and starting a new family, my family," the young man was enraged and his face was already as red as his anger.

"I have many regrets in my life, Damon, not seeing you finally get married with a woman who loves you and who you love back would be another one."

"You're not welcome," Damon snorted.

"Yes, he is, Damon. If he wants to be here he is welcome," Elena's voice broke through the room.

"Elena?" he asked frowning as he looked at the door seeing Katherine and Caroline holding what seemed like a curtain in front of Elena, covering her from Damon's view completely.

"There's no time for her to undress and get dressed again and there's no way you're seeing her, Damon, so you better leave and give them five minutes. It's not like the guests haven't been waiting for forty minutes already," Caroline explained and before Damon could retort Elena spoke again, "I'll be brief, Damon. And if your father still wants to be part of the wedding after I leave, then let it be."

"He's not worthy, Elena. You're pregnant, you're already stressed because of wedding, and you can't go through anything else."

"Am I going to be a grandfather again?" Giuseppe asked positively surprised, "Stefan never mentioned it."

"Because that brainless husband of mine can't even carry out one moronic job well if I'm not around to provide him all the important information."

"I'm a doctor, Katherine, I don't remember you there with me while I'm with my patients," Stefan offered slightly offended as he approached his brother, "Let's go, Damon, everything will work out," he reached for his brother's left arm and back.

"I'm not leaving Elena with him, Stefan, actually he's the one who should be going or never have come in the first place," Damon tried to free himself from Stefan's grip, that wasn't that tight.

"Damon, please, trust me. I'm okay. Katherine will be outside the door, but nothing will happen. Giuseppe wants to be part of the wedding, I'll fill him in a few details and if he still wants to he'll stay," her voice was as soft as usual but there was a fierceness that should have reassured Damon but actually made him more concerned. Elena couldn't afford a fight with his father.

"Elena…" he started but Katherine interrupted.

"You're not going to change her mind, Damon, so if you want to get married today, you better move. My arm is hurting from keeping this up," the brunette offered annoyed.

"You'll never stop ruining everything for me, will you?" Damon looked angrily at his father before heading out.

"And don't even try to look back, Salvatore, you can't see the bride before she walks down the aisle," Caroline said seriously but Damon barely registered his words as he moved outside the room followed by Stefan.

Katherine and Caroline moved the curtain to the floor and walking over it Elena extended her hand to Giuseppe, "Elena Gilbert," she said simply.

"Giuseppe Salvatore, it's nice to meet you Elena. You look like a vision," the older man offered honestly, attempting to bring Elena's hand to his lips to kiss, like an old gentleman, but the brunette took her hand away before he could do so.

"I'll find out if the feeling is reciprocated once we talk. Thanks girls, but from now on it's only the two of us," she said determinedly and Jenna and Caroline moved outside the room. Katherine waited for them leave and holding both of Elena's hands on her own she whispered to her soon-to-be sister in law, "I'm just by the other side of the door if you need help kicking his ass," she smiled and left.

"Thank you, Kat," the writer offered a genuine smile that vanished from her features as soon as she turned to face the man standing a few feet from her.

"I think the first thing I should let you know is that I hate you, Giuseppe Salvatore, with all of my heart," Elena offered and she collected all the force and the good education her parents gave her to stop herself from slapping the elder in front of her.

* * *

_AN: You can trust me guys when I say I won't abandon any of my TVD fics. I'm way more inspired to write the other one but I'll finish both. It took me longer to work on this but I think I've got it covered now. I have any idea of what I'll write in the following chapter and I think it'll have two or three more updates._

_I hope you guys are still there, for those who only read this story, I'm going through a VERY complicated situation in my real life. It was responsible for my lack of updates to both stories for a while and things are far from being back on track but I'm waiting God's promises :)_

_I hope you still have a few reviews for me in this one. I want to thank everybody who reviewed last chapter and a special thanks to my beta, **Avecia**. Love you girl!_

_xoxo_


	14. Sorry If I Don't Feel Sorry

.

**Real Life**

**Chapter 13 - Sorry If I Don't Feel Sorry**

* * *

"There are three reasons why I don't slap you now with all my strength, Mr. Salvatore. First, it would ruin the education my late parents gave me, two, I'm a pregnant woman and three you're an elder. But feel slapped because that's the most genuine feeling in my heart right now," Elena said and she knew it sounded childish but she tried to stop her hormonal roller coaster behavior briefly after she found out she was pregnant. It was a lost battle.

"I'm happy to feel slapped, Elena, actually I give you authorization to just do it because that's the least I deserve," the man offered and Elena's walls fell immediately seeing how the man sounded genuinely guilty.

"Why are you here?"

"Because at some point I need to start fixing what I broke," the old man said apologetically.

"So you're well aware you almost destroyed that amazing man's life?" Elena crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Unfortunately, yes," Giuseppe looked down, releasing a heavy sigh. The man in front of her looked anything but completely defeated.

"And how do you plan to fix it?"

"I need him to know the truth, the real reasons why I did what I did," the elder offered still not looking directly at Elena.

"Do you honestly think that there are any good reasons that could have justified your behavior? I don't think you can make any progress here, Giuseppe, so maybe it's for the best if you just leave," Elena barely refrained the desire of shaking him and make him notice that he figured everything out incorrectly.

"My reasons won't make what I did look better, Elena, but they'll hopefully be enough for Damon to see that nothing I ever did was his fault. It wasn't him who was the failure, but me and he needs to know it. He deserves to know it and I think we're both well aware that he still thinks he failed me, not the other way around," he explained with a tortured expression on his face. Elena didn't think the man in front of her didn't regret any of his actions towards his oldest son until then.

"Only someone as damaged as him would think something so ridiculous. The man I met six months ago had no self-esteem what so ever. He didn't care for anything that really mattered. He played this Don Juan role that gave women the most precious and hid present on earth when in reality he couldn't think any less of himself. He never really tried to be in a relationship because he never thought he was decent enough to even have a girlfriend," she knew it would only torture Giuseppe more but he needed to know how he damaged his own son.

"You're probably right," he agreed with a defeated tone.

"No, I know I am," the brunette added with no lack of doubts in her voice.

"If I tell you that I didn't want to take amends with my son, or my whole family for that matter, I'd be lying Elena. I want us to be a family and I've wanted it for a while now. Your wedding presented as a chance for me to finally step up and show that I want to be a part of this family. And if you allow me to be around Damon, then I want to at least let him know my reason for why I treated him that way. That way he can move on and finally realize I was the jerk that wasn't able to love his son when he involuntarily caused his mother's death. I have to tell him the whole story and to apologize. What happens from there is on all of you and I can only hope for the best," he talked about Cecilia for the first time in so many years, decades even. He never talked about his late wife with his sons, let alone his new wife because it was too painful, but he now needed to face his demons and make up for the boy he broke. He needed to offer him a chance to go on with his life feeling slightly better about himself.

"What do you mean by involuntarily caused his mother's death?" Elena asked curious. That was a new piece of information and she wondered if Damon felt even worse thinking that Giuseppe had all reasons to hate Stefan for Cecilia's death but still hated him instead.

"Cecilia died because she developed eclampsia while she was pregnant with Damon. It wasn't recommended for her to get pregnant again, especially over twenty years ago. But Cecilia wanted to have a big family and I know it may sound ridiculous for you now, but I felt like Damon took away her biggest dream. But when she got pregnant with Stefan she was the happiest woman in the world. She wanted it so much but she had a peak on her blood pressure, a seizure and died. Stefan was lucky to survive," for the first time since their conversation started the man in front of her seemed close to tears and she didn't need her groom's estranged father to cry in front of her on her wedding day while she was pregnant. She already ruined her make-up once and it wasn't even when it was supposed to happen, when Damon said his vows.

"And he doesn't know it?" Elena asked but she knew the answer already, she was speaking out of shock more than out of curiosity.

"He has no idea. I resented him. Cecilia loved Stefan so much before he was born. I've never seen my wife so happy like she was during Stefan's pregnancy and it was solely because of him. He was the reminder of how happy he made her, so I resented Damon. I loved my wife in a way I can't explain, Elena. Losing her made me lose my common sense. I was a shell of a man for so long. So I drowned myself in work, got married again and tried to punish Damon the best I could but nothing closed the hole in my soul caused by Cecilia's death, it never made the pain pass," Giuseppe offered and by how hard he fought his tears, Elena knew he wasn't someone how allowed himself to cry, let alone in front of others. He was tough and she could see some resemblance with Damon, though the younger Salvatore mixed his toughness with humanity.

"I shall not make my guests wait any longer, Giuseppe, if you want to stay, be my guest. I don't think today is the best day for you to talk to Damon, but you seem like a man who regretted his actions in the past and I don't think you should be punished for them anymore. I know it'll make a difference for you in the future to know you were here when Damon and I got married, whether the situation between the two of you gets better or not. We'll spend the weekend in a resort in the Caribbean but Wednesday we'll be back in New York. Maybe you should look for him then," Elena quickly dismissed the man before she couldn't hold back the tears. Giuseppe shared valuable information with her that she was positive would make wonders to Damon's guilt and low self-esteem. She was going to do everything in her power for the conversation between father and son to happen as fast as possible. She didn't know if she even wanted Damon to be reconciled with his father because she didn't know if the elder would be able to love his son as he needed. But Damon certainly needed to understand there were reasons beyond why his father was a cruel man. After all he never showed such cruelty to Stefan until Katherine happened. And for what her future sister-in-law said, even then it couldn't compare to what Giuseppe usually did to Damon.

"Thanks for understanding, Elena," he offered genuinely thankful but he was the one misunderstanding things now and she would make sure to make him understand her actions fine.

"I don't Giuseppe. I can never understand how you could blame a little boy for something that was clearly not his fault. I can't understand a father punishing a child from his tender years through his adult life. I just think it'll help Damon and as I said I don't think you should be punished even if you were the only one who actually had a fault in this story. Now could you please go and take a seat so I can marry the most amazing man I ever met?" she softened her voice and expression at the mention of getting married to Damon and Giuseppe finally offered a smile.

"I suppose life found a way to make up for his lousy father with a great wife. I'm happy he's marrying you Elena, even if I know you for only ten minutes," with one last smile Giuseppe walked out of the old office and taking a couple of minutes to collect herself, Elena finally informed Caroline the ceremony could, at last, start.

* * *

Damon groaned internally when he saw his father in the last row of seats in the backyard of their house but his annoyance was soon forgotten when he finally laid his eyes on his bride. Elena looked breathtaking and he felt like he couldn't blink, feeling he'd miss even for a millisecond her astonishing beauty in her wedding dress.

Elena had already seen him partially dressed when he went to the bedroom earlier and she had a glimpse of him when she followed him and Giuseppe inside the office but now she was also mesmerized by his dashing looks.

The ceremony started and Damon and Elena barely acknowledged the minister's words as they kept their eyes on each other as if they were under a spell. A strong and powerful love spell. Soon the time for them to share their vows came and they felt like no words would make justice to express how they felt. Elena cried copiously as she heard Damon's words. What they shared in their bedroom already felt like promises of eternal love but standing there, in front of their family and loved ones, seeing Damon look like an angel, brought tears streaming down her face freely.

They soon moved to the round tables sparsely distributed in the green lawn. The spacious backyard allowed them to have the two spaces planned, one for the ceremony, with the sea in the background and other for the party, closer to the house beautiful back porch. The few rows of chairs that surrounded the simple altar soon disappeared creating a dance floor that would be filled with people after the dinner they were now appetizing.

* * *

Giuseppe was ready to leave because he didn't really want to be part of the party. He just wanted to thank Stefan for informing him of Damon's wedding. It had been one of the most touching moments of his life and he was glad he was lucky to be part of it, even as an unwelcome party. But Katherine wouldn't allow him to leave just like that. And when the brunette woman offered to walk him out he knew he was going to face someone even more fierce and protective of his sons.

"You may have fooled Elena but you'll certainly have to do a better job with me, Giuseppe. She doesn't know you but I know all your snake moves and tricks by heart," she muttered as she smiled to the other guests they passed by on their way out.

"I'm tired and old, Katherine. I lost the only woman I ever loved and I never got over it. In exchange, I lost my two sons and my grandchildren barely know me. I've been miserable for over twenty years and I'm tired and exhausted. Isobel never loved me, just the status being married to me brought to her life and how my money promoted her from medium class to a snobby rich woman. I feel empty, but above all I feel horrible. Damon had it worse and I know I need to fix a few things before I'm finally out of this world," the elder showed his exhaustion by the way he voiced his troubled feelings but Katherine wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. Especially because there was a huge chance that he was lying through his teeth.

"Why now? Why bother to show up on his wedding day? If anything you said is true, and I can hardly believe it, I think you didn't come to this conclusion last week," she showed her suspicions.

"I was afraid of what I would find when I approached Damon again," Giuseppe confessed and Katherine took a moment appraising him.

"And what does his wedding have to do with this?" she asked trying to figure out if he was really being honest and just used the wedding day to prevent Damon from react badly or if he had a hidden agenda, as he usually did. It wouldn't surprise her if Giuseppe had planned to destroy Damon's happy day although he didn't exactly do anything bad. In addition to showing up.

"Because it relieved my conscience. If Damon was marrying it meant that no matter how awful I had been to him all those years ago, he still made it," the producer offered and before he knew anything else Katherine reacted.

"You son of bitch," the doctor didn't stop herself from doing what Elena almost did and only when her hand stung from the contact with his cheek she realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry, Giuseppe, I shouldn't have," she showed regret. Giuseppe was an elder, not matter how low of one, no one should slap an elder on the face. But she couldn't stop herself from reacting when he showed no compassion towards Damon, only a heavy conscience looking for ways to feel relieved. He was still the same selfish jerk that raised two sons that thankfully got nothing from their father.

"I deserve it, Elena said she also wanted to do it and for me to feel slapped because she was internally doing it. You just gave me a better picture," he offered a cracked smile as he rubbed his stinging skin.

"I can't believe you're here to feel better!"

"I'm not here for that, Katherine. I'm here because I want to apologize to Damon, and ask for his forgiveness, but also to relieve his own guilt about everything. Seeing he's happy only helped my cowardice but if he didn't have Elena I would have found a way to contact him sooner or later. I don't even know if what I did to him can be fixed but I had to try."

"It's too late, you know that?"

"Yeah, but the old saying fits, Katherine, better late than never. Damon needed to know there were reasons behind my behavior. They could never justify what I did, but I'm sure he'll feel better about himself once everything is said and done," his voice was somewhat soft and Katherine wondered if he really wasn't as tired and regretful as he showed.

"I hope so; otherwise you can forget even the kids' phone number," she threatened and Giuseppe only sighed in return. He knew it was going to be hard and he knew Katherine wouldn't take him easily.

"I own you and Stefan an apology as well. I hope I'll have the chance to visit you any other day and properly do it," he explained but he knew it was pointless.

"You're lucky that for some stupid reasons the older kids love their grandpa although Jayden barely knows who you are."

"I'm thankful for being allowed to visit Alyssa, Elijah and Gabriel, and to call them on holidays and birthdays."

"Stefan. He's the one that you should be thanking, not me. We had some horrible fights because of it. I never agreed to let you be a part of their lives but what's done is done," Katherine made sure to make it clear for him that she didn't want him around the kids, but she couldn't object her husband for giving his father a chance. A chance he never deserved.

"But still I thank both of you."

"You better mean every word that came out of your mouth, Giuseppe. Stefan never stopped believing that someday you would regret what you did to them, especially Damon. I'm sure it's one of his secret dreams and if you mess this up, if you let him have his hopes up and mess up, I'll make sure you never see or talk to the kids again," Katherine added fiercely, heading back inside before her father-in-law had the chance to say another word.

* * *

The atmosphere around the Salvatore family improved a lot once Giuseppe left. Damon hoped none of the guests realized it but a few of his friends that came from LA knew his father, although they didn't know the kind of relationship they had, so it was for the best that Giuseppe appeared after all. He was sure some of them would wonder why on earth he got married and his father wasn't there. Their opinion didn't bother Damon but he didn't want to risk it to be known by media and read in some tabloid that sources assured there were problems between father and son. Elena didn't deserve to have her name dragged into their mess, especially because the little coverage media gave to their wedding seemed to be thanks to her celebrity status, not his.

"Are you tired, Mrs. Salvatore?" Damon asked when he approached his wife, sat on their table. Wife, he loved how it sounded on his lips or even in his head when he thought about it.

"I am, Mr. Salvatore but I couldn't be happier," she offered a big grin that immediately brought one to his face too.

"I couldn't be either. Unless he or she was here already," Damon said sitting by her side, bringing her head to rest on his chest.

"That's going to take a few more months. But I can think of a thing or two we could do right now to make it even better," she smirked and he wondered when she started to be him. But it didn't matter now. He was very interested in what she was suggesting.

"And what would be that?"

"You, me, no clothes and our nuptial suite in Manhattan," she whispered as she caressed his chest with her hand.

"I think you're absolutely right, Mrs. Salvatore," he said bringing her face to his and kissing her, taking his time and totally ignoring that they still had guests.

"So we might leave now," she gasped when they finally broke apart, her center vibrating at the prospect of making love to him.

"At your command, my wife," he stood up, offering her his hand.

"Tell me you're not going to call me Mrs. Salvatore and wife all the time," she rolled her eyes but there was huge smile on her face as she said it.

"Until I grow tired of it, I don't see why I would stop. I love the sound of it on my lips. You, Elena Josephine Salvatore, are my wife and I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying so," his broad grin reinforced his words as he spoke.

"I love you, Damon Alessandro Salvatore and being your wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me," she replied and once again they found their lips crashing against each other's but based on the whistles and 'oohs' they heard this time they actually drew attention to their inability to keep their hands off each other. And they knew they would be happy together and no one, not even his father, would be able to spoil it. Not now or ever because all they needed was each other.

* * *

_AN: Sorry for the very late update. I had this chapter written for a couple of weeks now but then I had a beta situation, then another beta situation and then a beta's computer situation. Anyway I really want to thank to **TheBlackCrow23** for being the beta to this chapter._

_Also special thanks to my reviewers and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and let me know your thoughts. A couple more of chapters and it'll be completely and hopefully those will come faster._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	15. Oh, Baby

.

**Real Life**

**Chapter 14 - Oh, Baby**

* * *

Time passed by quickly but not enough for Damon to finish the movie's post-production. They had to re-shoot a lot of scenes and being the perfectionist that he was, everything had to be flawless. It was the story of Elena's book he was telling and he made sure that it would be his best work ever. She deserved that much.

Everything in his life with Elena was great. Okay, not everything. Having problems with your wife's birth preferences is something.

Caroline, as always, shared with Elena something about water births and it didn't take much work from the blond to convince the pregnant woman to have one. At first, Damon didn't mind because it really seemed to be an unique experience for them and it seemed to be good to the baby as well. But when Elena went beyond Caroline's suggestion and wanted to have the baby in their bathtub, he nearly died from a heart attack. He had been trying to convince her to do it at the hospital for months but she didn't budge. He knew the house was very special for Elena and that she wanted Lea and Anthony's story to be the same for the two of them. Damon actually called Jessica to confirm if Lea ever gave birth in the house, but even when the redhead said no, Elena still didn't change her mind. She wanted the whole experience. She wanted a natural birth, on water, in the house she planned to share with her husband for the rest of their lives together.

Damon couldn't help but worry sick about something going wrong. He read a lot of articles about that kind of labor and there were a few stories that had bad repercussions. But was he willing to take the risk?

"When is your last appointment with Dr. Karev?" he asked her while they were having breakfast.

"The day after tomorrow, 2pm," she answered and sipped her tea, which was so delicious and would help her in the labor.

"You do know it's a long way from Manhattan to the Hamptons, right? If anything goes wrong with this indie idea of yours, he may not make it here," he reinforced the same point yet again. That was his biggest fear about Elena having their baby in their house. If something bad happened it would take a long time for Elena to make it back to the city or for Alex to make it to their house. It actually surprised him that Elena didn't think that was a problem. Actually she would probably see that as problem too, if she wasn't so sure that nothing would go wrong. A plan is only a good plan if it includes a contingency, in case anything went wrong because there is always the possibility of something going wrong. But not in his wife's head.

"This isn't a movie to be an indie, Damon. Nothing will go wrong, I promise you," she reached for his hand and kissed his knuckles.

"You can't promise me that, Elena. No mother thinks they'll have problems during labor or that their kids will be sick or have any sort of complications," Damon tried to reason for the thousandth time and although he knew she wouldn't change her mind, he wouldn't give up either.

"You have no idea of how many mothers actually freak out their whole pregnancy afraid of their labors," she chuckled softly.

"I know that I'm freaking out about you being here, all alone, far away from any good medical facility," he showed once again his fears.

"Rebekah will be here," Elena shrugged.

"Rebekah lives at least thirty minutes away from here, Elena. If you start having contractions and something goes wrong she may be too late," Damon offered seriously. He couldn't believe her midwife was also far from their house and still Elena saw no problem with that.

"Dan, if I start having contractions earlier than my due date it means the baby will be here sooner, which is good, I can't stand being this huge for one more day. My feet are going to give up on me any day now," she said tiredly, while she caressed her swollen stomach. Elena still couldn't believe she was bearing only one child. She looked huge and it seemed like she added another pound as each day passed.

"Don't even kid about something like that. You still have three weeks to go," Damon sounded almost panicked and Elena actually chuckled some more. It was comic to see how freaked out he was about labor. She didn't know if it was because he watched way too many movies or television and producers have a thing for complicated labors. Or maybe it was the books they read that scared him. One way or the other she was amused by how honestly desperate he sounded sometimes.

"And you need to relax, Damon. I had the most uneventful pregnancy ever. I don't see how something could go wrong now," she reassured him and he actually let the subject go for a moment. He couldn't lose the chance to tease her about her crazy moods. No, he would never let it go.

"Uneventful? Maybe for you, baby, but I can assure you your mood has been a bigger challenge than running a marathon when you never even put sports shoes on," he smirked and she slapped his arm playfully.

"Evil man," she tried to hide her smile but hadn't been able to.

"Honey, it was easier to predict the day the world will end than know what you had going on in your mind for the first six months," he teased her and it actually annoyed her a little.

"I wasn't that bad," she voiced her inner thoughts. Although Caroline, Rose and everyone else seemed to agree with him, she still thought they were exaggerating sometimes. She wasn't that unpredictable and demanding, though Damon's biggest complaint was how much she changed her mind. They asked and unasked Dr. Karev to tell them the baby's sex more times than he could count. Of course Elena was the one who changed her mind all those times.

"No, it was worse," he chuckled.

"Stop it, jerk," she said a little more affected by his words than she should. She knew he was teasing but she also knew he partially meant what he said.

"I will only because you're not the ice queen bitch anymore," he winked and she actually threw a piece of bread at him which led him to laugh really hard. "Is she going to make a new appearance now?"

"Shut up before I invoke her," she threatened and Damon was actually confused if she was still playing at that point or not. He better not risk it.

"I love you, honey," he said playfully but still enough for Elena to let it go. She knew she was being childish but sometimes she couldn't control her emotions.

"I love you too, although you are a jerk," she offered him a small but honest smile.

"Well this jerk is late for work, call me if you need anything, okay?" he stood up and leaned down to kiss her cheek before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

* * *

Once she was alone in the house, Elena did the dishes and went to the baby's nursery. Those days she spent most of her time there. She wasn't in the mood to write anything. She just wanted to be in the bedroom her baby would be living in soon. She normally read some of the story books she had already bought for the baby while she absently rubbed her stomach. She also dreamed a lot about when they would be a family.

Some days she wondered who the baby would look like. Her features would probably overshadow Damon's, except for his black hair, not that hers was much lighter anyway. But she thought the baby would probably have her olive skin and brown eyes and probably have some parts from Damon like his nose or mouth. Then other days she thought exactly the opposite. Damon's features were well defined. His genes would probably be stronger than hers. She would love their baby to have his cobalt eyes. They were so beautiful and she could get lost in them no matter how much time passed. Actually she thought she loved him more than ever as their first anniversary together approached. They decided to make their relationship anniversary the first time they made love together. It could be Thanksgiving but that day brought too many bad emotions and they didn't want such a special date to be marked by so much pain.

She wished she could do something special for them to celebrate, but the baby's due date was too close to their anniversary and she felt she had less and less energy as the date got closer. She became lazy – something she never thought she would be – but it wasn't easy to carry so much more weight than she was used too. It wasn't only about gaining more pounds than she dared to confess but also how her body felt. She felt tired all the time, even if she had just woken up. The only thing she had energy to do was to add things to the white nursery. The lack of color, much to Caroline's dismay, had nothing to do with not knowing the sex of their baby, but with Elena's sober taste for interior design. She didn't like strong colors for nurseries so blue, pink, red, green were all out of question. She thought about light yellow but she finally settle for white because it was just what she had imagined. The crib, the changing table, the dresser, the chair were all simply white. Her furniture was classic and had a hint of sophistication, but only because Elena liked classic better than modern decoration for spaces planned for children. The wallpaper was stripped alternating between white, light gray and silver. The mobile over the crib had a lot of ladybugs – which had been the theme she chose for the nursery. It was one of the few colorful things in the peaceful bedroom. There were red, black and yellow ladybugs, some with their little wings closed and some flying over where her baby would soon sleep.

There was also a few paintings hanging on the walls, all of which were ladybugs, but they were mainly black and white with pale red coloring in the bug's body. On the opposite wall there were five circular shelves. Some of them had stuffed animals – mainly white and of course there were a couple of colorful ladybugs. When Elena actually explained her idea to Caroline, the blond thought it would look lifeless and cold for a baby but Elena wasn't going to let anyone – but Damon – to influence their baby's room. But when everything was finally there, Caroline fell in love with the cozy, warm and quiet nursery, despite the almost complete lack of color.

Elena started washing the baby clothes she had bought and a bunch of gifts from Katherine, Caroline, Rose and Damon. There were a couple of things Giuseppe sent for the baby and Damon nearly returned them, but she convinced him otherwise. It still gave her shivers to remember the conversation Damon had with his father all those months ago and folding the onesie the Italian bought, she remembered of that day again. She didn't plan to eavesdrop their conversation but when they raised their voices she couldn't not listen.

"Elena seems to think I should at least give you a chance to repeat whatever you told her," Damon said to his father when he entered his new house living room. He was doing it more for Elena than for himself. Actually if it was up to him he would never talk or see his father again.

"I appreciate her sensitivity," Giuseppe offered a weak smile but Damon wasn't going to buy it.

"So spill. My wife and I are very tired from coming back from our honeymoon and you're actually ruining my very happy newlywed life," Damon's voice was harsh and Giuseppe knew it would probably be too late for him to try to fix what he did to his oldest son.

"Your mother developed eclampsia when she was pregnant with you. We've planned to have a big family, especially because she didn't want you to be an only child. It wasn't recommended by the doctors for her to get pregnant again and I tried my best to dissuade her from trying, but I knew she was miserable. She had always dreamed of having many kids and I couldn't keep denying her for too long. She got pregnant with Stefan but her blood pressure started to have peaks and it rose much more than the doctors recommended. During delivery she had a seizure and they were never able to bring her back," Giuseppe reported with glossy eyes. Remembering those things still hurt him even if they happened over twenty years ago.

"So you're trying to tell me I was the reason why she couldn't make her biggest dream come true and that somehow I was responsible for her death?" Damon looked shattered and his voice was just above a whisper.

"No, Damon. You didn't give your mother that disease. Her body did. It can happen during pregnancies but the cause isn't the baby itself. I can see it now, but back then I resented you for what you just said. I found myself in a tough position. I thought it was the right decision to try to give her the family she had always dreamed of. Although it's been a long time since she had Stefan, medicine was already advanced to treat eclampsia but there would always be a risk. It was just a sad fatality."

"And you want to convince me you don't feel that way anymore? Are you trying to tell me that you don't feel like I killed not only her dreams but also her?" Damon's voice was pretty loud then, "Or in your wicked mind you just wanted me to feel the same? Is that why you're here, Giuseppe? To make sure I feel miserable for the rest of my life because I destroyed my mother's life?"

"No, Damon. That's not the reason. I loved your mother like no other man has ever loved a woman. Cecilia was everything to me and I had to blame someone. I had to blame someone other than me. Don't you think I didn't blame myself time after time? I should have said no when she insisted on having more babies. We could have adopted or tried surrogacy, but I didn't think she would actually die from it. She loved you so much and she was so happy when she found out she was pregnant with Stefan. Some days I think that despite making me miserable for the rest of my life, it was all worth it because of how happy she had been those seven months since we found out she was pregnant. She literally glowed and she picked Stefan's name and start buying clothes and planning the nursery the same day we found out the sex. She was so happy you would have a little bother to play with. She said she had always wanted to have girls too but that Stefan would be the perfect gift for his big brother and that you would always be there for one another. She dreamed about the two of you and she planned to have a bunch of girls later so you and Stefan would go crazy protecting them from kids at school and guys when they started dating. Those months had been the happiest Cecilia and I had ever been. But when she died and nothing came true I was lost, hurt and mad. I couldn't exactly be mad at God and I didn't want to destroy myself either so I aimed at the weakest target, I aimed all my pain and disappointment on you. I'm sorry for that, son, I am truly sorry." Giuseppe's voice was low and vulnerable and although Damon never saw his father like that before, he didn't register it properly until much later. He was blinded by his own guilt.

"You don't get to call me son," Damon shouted.

"No, I don't. I just wanted you to know I was a coward and that Cecilia must have felt really disappointed in me for all the decisions I made since then. I knew Isobel was a horrible maternal figure for you and Stefan. I couldn't have chosen a worse person to be with but I didn't care. She was a welcomed distraction I needed in my life before I did something stupid with myself or even worse, with you,"

"I don't think you could have been a worse father. If we had had this conversation a year ago I would have said you could have killed me then, if that's your idea of worse. But I'm finally happy. I have a family of my own. I love that kid more than he or she can comprehend. I will be the father you never were,"

"I know you will," Giuseppe offered a small smile but Damon ignored it completely.

"You can leave now. I don't know if you have anything else to say, but I know there isn't anything else I want to listen," the young producer couldn't hear whatever else his father had to say. He felt awful for what he indirectly caused his mother and whatever Giuseppe still had to say it would have to wait another day. Preferably never, he thought as he avoided looking at his father.

"I'm sorry, Damon, for everything," his father looked at him and walked away, knowing Damon wouldn't say anything and he didn't.

Damon later told her everything they talked about, especially what Giuseppe said as Elena only heard Damon's loud words. It took him a long time to get over the guilt he felt and she suspected he still felt like that. At their wedding day, Elena thought it would help Damon to know the reasons why his father acted so obnoxiously towards him but she never thought Damon would actually feel guilty for something that clearly wasn't his fault.

Giuseppe never visited again, but he has been talking to Stefan and lately he dared to talk to her as well. Elena thought about cutting him off after what he said to Damon made him feel even worse than before, but she could see that was never his intention. He wanted to relieve some of his son's guilt for how he treated him but at the end he just made it worse. She also thought about their baby. Elena had lost her parents and Damon had lost Cecilia. If Giuseppe was indeed regretful about how he treated Damon, she wouldn't deny her son or daughter to have the only grandparent left. But one slip and Giuseppe could be out of their lives forever and she made sure to say it every time they talked over phone.

Elena hated to remember those days and that had been the sole reason she had some stressful days during her pregnancy. Even months later, she still didn't feel any better than she did when Damon cried himself to sleep in her arms that night. And it seemed like her baby didn't like it too because the mild cramps she had been feeling since the previous night were intensifying. They seemed different then and when the last one hit her she knew they weren't cramps anymore. She was having contractions.

Elena knew how scared Damon was about the whole thing and until then she felt absolutely okay about the labor, but the quick and sudden strong pain scared her so she called Rebekah. The blond asked if Elena marked how long it was taking between the contractions and she realized she was too nervous to remember about that. Everything seemed to happen so fast and the baby was three weeks early. Suddenly she feared everything Damon said and she even asked Rebekah if she should head to the hospital.

"And give up on the amazing water birth you planned? I guess you don't need start filling the tub yet, I'm on my way. Try to relax and go for a walk in that beautiful backyard you have. The sea is very calm today and it isn't that cold. Try to focus on the waves coming and breaking on the shore and before you know I'll be there. If everything you're telling me, Elena, is accurate, your baby will be there very soon too,"

"Should I call Damon already?"

"It's up to you. I don't know how dilated you already are and I know he doesn't feel very comfortable about the home birth. I think it'd be nice for him to be there for you throughout the whole experience. That's what it's about, isn't it?"

"I'll call Caroline and Rose too," Elena said as both of her friends want to be part of that moment and she also wanted them around.

"You do that and I'll be there soon," Rebekah offered excitedly and Elena wished she could share the same feeling. She thought she would but right then she was panicking remembering the words Damon said not longer than an hour ago. What if something went wrong?

"Thanks Bex," Elena offered calmly but the blond did little to nothing to soothe her nerves.

"Don't forget to relax," the blond said before hanging up.

She called her friends first. She knew it would be easier to talk to them and they wouldn't freak out as she expected Damon to do. Actually if she was feeling like that she could only imagine how he would feel. She took a deep breath before dialing the speed dial #1 in her cell phone. She was about to hit the send button when she heard the front door opening. It could only be one person but she had no idea why he was back after just a little over than an hour since he left.

She walked out of the baby's bedroom when a new contraction hit her. They seemed to have progressed awfully fast in the last twenty minutes.

"Kitten?" Damon called downstairs and Elena had to actually wait for the pain to pass before she answered. "Upstairs."

"Why are you back?" she asked when he reached the top of the stairs.

"I felt like I forgot something and I didn't want to go through over two hours of driving to realize what it was when I arrived in the city," he offered. He didn't mind the time he wasted driving to the office where they were working in the post-production. Elena suggested them to stay in the penthouse on weekdays and in The Hamptons in the weekends but Damon preferred to live in their house. The movie would be finished soon anyway.

"Did you remember what you forgot?"

"No, but having a chance to kiss my beautiful wife seems like something worth coming back for," he wrapped his arms around her kissing her in the lips softly but then he felt something warm on his legs.

"I guess I know what you forgot," Elena said quietly and watched as the color on her husband's face drained completely.

* * *

"You said things were progressing quickly," Elena complained to Rebekah.

"You said she was three centimeters dilated when you arrived here and that was four hours ago. How come she's only five?" Caroline asked slightly bored. She wanted to be there for her best friend, she was actually in charge of filming the birth and she thought she would have lost something special by the time she arrived there two hours after Rebekah did.

"I also said that although things were progressing quickly, they could change at any time. It could take another day or another hour. Births are unpredictable," the midwife explained.

"Which is why we should be in a hospital," Damon offered as he let Elena hold his hand when another contraction hit her.

"Elena's blood pressure is okay and so is the baby's heartbeat. You have nothing to worry about, Damon," Rebekah offered but it did little to ease his nerves.

"It hurts too much, Bex," Elena complained when the latest contraction wore down.

"Take a walk, you didn't do it when I asked you to do it four hours ago," Rebekah suggested, sounding slightly demanding.

"Her water had just broken, how did you expect her to go for a walk?" Damon asked as if the woman in front of him was crazy, which actually made Rebekah chuckle a little.

"You go with her, Damon. Talk to her, talk about the baby, the plans. You're so lucky to have such beautiful surroundings," the midwife softly suggested and Elena thought it would be perfect.

"I don't think we should go," the soon to be father couldn't hide his uneasiness.

"If it helps, I'll run a marathon, move your cute ass, Dan," Elena said standing from the chair.

"While you take a walk we'll prepare the bathroom, okay? I think you'll be ready for the water when you arrive. Take your time, unless you feel like the contractions are getting closer apart," Rebekah oriented and Elena just nodded before walking away but she noticed Damon didn't move from his place.

"I'm calling Dr. Karev," he said taking his phone.

"You're calling no one, let's go, it's a beautiful day outside," she said and he sighed following his wife.

* * *

"How can you be this calm?" he said as soon as they stepped outside, in their backyard.

"I was a pile of nerves before you arrived," she admitted and he felt something warm inside of him.

"And now you aren't anymore?"

"No, the moment you were there with me I relaxed," she said as she snuggled in his chest while they walked.

"I didn't and I'm still not comfortable with this, what if…" he started to freak out again but Elena would be there for her husband. She felt at peace and she wanted him to feel the same and enjoy the experience they were sharing in such a beautiful way.

"Shhhh, everything will be okay, let's enjoy the scenery and relax just like Rebekah recommended. I think the relaxation part would be good for you too," she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"I can't help but worry. You're the two people I love the most in the world. I can't think what I'd do if something happened to either of you," he stroke her hair as they kept their slow paced walk.

"The same way I'm sure you can think of all wonderful things we could do together, as our little happy family of three," she suggested with a beautiful and big smile showing in her face.

"I'm taking a year off," he said surprising her, that wasn't something they had really talked.

"Because of the baby?"

"I could say yes, but it's mainly because of me," he said and he felt himself relaxing at the prospect of spending the whole day with his wife and kid for the next twelve months.

"How come?" she asked trying to understand her husband.

"I want to really enjoy this experience, to be there for all milestones. There's nothing I'd like more than that. There will be time for other movies later," Damon clarified and she loved that idea. It would be perfect.

"And what if I get pregnant again?" she mentioned their plan of having another child just after the first. They didn't want big gaps between their kids and they certainly wanted a lot of them.

"I'll work something out, Elena but I won't produce any big movie. I'll schedule my next movie for when the baby is one year old. If we can't stop ourselves from having another, we'll figure it out when time comes. I know I want to be there with both of you for the next year," he chuckled feeling really happy and whole. His life became an amazing fairytale the moment she entered it, even if there had been some big bumps.

Elena was about to answer but a very painful – and long – contraction hit her body, leading her to stop and breathe through the uncomfortable pain.

"I guess the walk is actually helping," she said resuming her steps.

"We're still close to the house; let's not go much further okay? We can walk in circles," he suggested and she nodded.

* * *

After forty minutes they entered the house again and they were surprised to see the bathroom filled with candles, the blinds down, creating a calm and warm atmosphere.

"Let's see how you're going, if you want you can already enter the tub," Rebekah said before checking Elena's dilatation. "Eight centimeters, I guess the walk was very good indeed," the midwife said happily and Elena was actually relived to know things were progressing quicker.

She had no idea how relaxing and soothing the warm water actually was. The pain seemed to be more bearable and she felt her body being embraced by the water's comforting power.

It took her another hour before Rebekah finally authorizing Elena to push. The brunette felt like her body was screaming for her to push and when she started she felt herself getting teary. Damon was just by her side, holding her hand and kissing the side of her face every time a contraction came.

Elena seemed a natural and in less than thirty minutes, their baby was crowning and just a few pushes later they were finally able to see the beautiful baby being emerged from the water by Rebekah, who announced the sex. Elena immediately brought the baby to her chest and looked at Damon, both of them had tears in their eyes and kissing her baby's temple she handed her to Damon, who cut the cord and then kissed her cheek.

"Welcome, Emma Josephine Salvatore" Damon announced, and he couldn't put into words how thankful he was for Elena's idea of having their daughter in the water. He would never forget that magical moment.

* * *

_AN: I didn't forget about this story but I'm too focused in the other and while things aren't still normal in my life I just couldn't write it before. Actually I want to thank to **starzee** who pointed out something that slip my mind. I wanted them to marry in their Hamptons house. My life had been so crazy that I completely forget about the house altogether. Well I wouldn't give it up so I edited last chapter and they got married in the Hamptons instead of Mystic Falls. I'm so sorry for being so relapse and distracted but things weren't easy back then (they're much better now but still adjusting)._

_As for this chapter. Well I hope you liked their new routine. I won't fix Damon and Giuseppe's relationship in this story because not everything can be fixed in life and they just can't. Sorry to disappoint. I also wanted to avoid the whole drama in labors and I think the water thing made it more interesting than a girl crying, hissing and cursing the man who got her pregnant. I really don't like it. I don't know I don't see women actually doing that so I won't write it. Then again I never gave birth to a child, maybe they do go all crazy and curse a lot their partners._

_The baby's name is special and who read the prequel knows :)_

_Thanks a lot to **Daniela** who beta'd this chapter for me and all my faithful readers and reviewers. How about you forgive me about my lapse of memory and give me some reviews? Epilogue is coming next._

_xoxo_

_Babi_


	16. Epilogue

.

**Real Life**

**Epilogue**

* * *

Elena couldn't help the constant smile on her face as she got herself ready for the night. She looked at the baby sleeping in the crib by the corner of their bedroom and her grin grew bigger. Their baby girl was beautiful. Even though she was blond and had green eyes, Damon knew for sure his brother hadn't tried any sort of voodoo to make his daughter look like his younger brother.

Emma's hair, as expected – or hoped by her father, darkened as each day passed. It was a honey blonde when she was born and two months later it was already a dark blond or light brown as Damon preferred to call it. Elena had no doubt their girl's hair would become even darker but her eyes were greener and greener. But it didn't matter if she inherited Giuseppe's and Stefan's features, Damon still thought his baby girl was the most beautiful baby in the whole world. And Emma was indeed gorgeous.

The brunette felt her husband entering the room, although he didn't make any noise and she had her back turned to the door.

"She looks more and more like you," Elena offered, as she looked at their two-month old baby.

"One more reason for me to love you," Damon answered, wrapping his arms around Elena's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I thought you'd hate me for giving you a blond girl?" she joked, although she knew that was almost a touchy subject for Damon because Katherine and Stefan mocked him a lot for it.

"Yeah, I thought with your hair and mine I would never give Stefan that satisfaction, but I wouldn't want her to look any other way, she's perfect," he smiled, looking toward the sleeping baby.

"She's so calm and peaceful," Elena said, tempted to touch their little doll, but she didn't want to risk waking Emma up just before they left.

"She's an angel," Damon agreed.

"And angels have blond hair," Katherine said entering the bedroom.

"It's been two months, Kat, it's getting old and if you haven't noticed yet, Emma's hair is getting darker," Damon rolled his eyes, but turned to give his sister a hug.

"Hi, Elena," the doctor greeted, approaching the other brunette with a smile.

"Hey, Kat, thanks for coming," the writer offered also hugging her sister-in-law.

"Well it's been almost a month since I saw the cutest niece in the world, I miss her,"

"You miss having a newborn around, Jayden is already two," Damon smirked.

"No, he'll be two in a month and a half, you guys are coming, aren't you?" Katherine asked, turning to look at the baby and biting her bottom lip to prevent her from squeezing Emma's cheeks.

"I have to control myself all the time," Elena chuckled when the doctor turned to her squeezing her hands in the air.

"Of course we're coming, I have to travel to LA to do a little work, but Elena and Emma are coming with me and then I don't have anything for the next twelve months," he confirmed.

"You're going to come to all birthday's parties. Even mine and Stefan's and our anniversary too," she didn't ask, she stated and Damon only chuckled knowing that was how his sister-in-law worked.

"Are you sure it won't be a burden to you, Katherine?"

"I needed a break from my own kids and I'm traveling to New York almost weekly these days because of that course I'm taking, it's my pleasure, Elena," Katherine assured the new mother.

"You can call us if she becomes too demanding," Elena said as she hooked the earring on her ear, the last touch she needed to be ready for the night.

"How many bottles did you leave?" Katherine asked as the three adults headed outside the bedroom.

"Four," Elena informed, "They're all in the fridge," she completed, heading to the kitchen to show her sister-in-law where everything was.

"Four bottles for a two-month? Is she spending the weekend with me?" Katherine asked amused seeing the four bottles completely full.

"Just in case," Elena tried to shrug, but Katherine chuckled.

"I was like that with Alyssa too. We overreact, we are overprotective, extra careful. We'll laugh about the things you did with Emma when you have your second, third, fourth," the doctor explained.

"Whoa, stop the counting," Elena interrupted.

"I'm all for it, Kitten," Damon winked at his wife who completely ignored him.

"Let's go?" Damon suggested, reaching for his wife's hands and intertwining their fingers.

"Call us if you need, okay?" Elena turned to Katherine and hugged her before they headed outside.

"I know I was mesmerized by our little girl when I entered the room, but you look absolutely gorgeous, Kitten," Damon complimented his wife who was wearing a black evening gown that hugged her already small frame in all the right places. There was still some pregnancy weight around her waist, but she didn't let it stop her from wearing the dress she had planned to for the occasion all those months ago. Her swollen breasts would probably keep the attention from her round stomach and she knew her husband loved her new 'twins'.

"The night asks for it, Mr. Salvatore and you look breathtaking," she replied, reaching his shoulders and bringing him down to kiss.

* * *

"Can you believe it?" Elena asked as they hugged each other in the back of the limousine.

"We did it, Kitten, we did it," Damon kissed her hair, breathing in the smell he loved so much.

"How do you think Emma is?"

"Since the last time you asked, let's say, ten minutes ago?" he smirked, gaining a slap on the arm from his wife.

"It's not my fault we live two hours away from Manhattan," she shrugged.

"She's fine. Don't you trust a mother of four with your baby?" he raised his eyebrow at her.

"Of course I do, but she's my baby, I have to worry about her," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm nervous," he changed the subject and she could see he was indeed uneasy as Damon Salvatore did not worry too much, too often.

"There's no reason to be. This movie will be a hit," she reached for his hand and squeezed it.

"Only because it's based on a best-seller, written by an incredibly talented writer," he leaned and kissed her softly.

The car finally stopped and both took deep breaths before they finally head out. There were hundreds of fans outside waiting for them. Elena had a solid fanbase and the sequel had been released just the week before the movie premiere and they were all there to show her love.

"They love you," Damon said.

"They'll love you too once they watch the amazing movie you created about the characters they love," she reassured him. Although it wasn't Damon's first movie, it was the one he hoped would change his career. His previous movies did well, especially based on the investment they received, but this one was a different style to those he'd made before and he was nervous to know what those many fans would say about what he did with the book they loved.

* * *

They had decided that the movie wasn't going to have overseas premieres, but the studio wanted to have some promotion in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami, but even before they went to the south the movie was already a hit in the box office.

"So are you ready to receive another ovation?" Elena asked Damon in their hotel room.

"As much as I can be. This is still too new for me, you know. It's like a dream coming true," he looked over at her with his smirk she loved so much.

"You deserve your dreams to finally come true, Damon," she wrapped her arms around his body, but the look of complete adoration and love in her eyes spoke to his heart more than any words.

"They already did when I met you, when you married me, and when Emma was born. Everything that happens now is just a plus," he reached for her, and kissed her passionately.

"Will this become our thing?" she said after she recovered somewhat her breath after their lip lock.

"What?" he asked her while he worked on his tie.

"Make love before premieres," she smiled, pulling him by said tie, and bringing him over to her in the bed.

Damon didn't answer with words, but before he could reach for her dress someone was knocking their door.

"Bummer," Damon mumbled as he made his way to maybe kill the person interrupting them.

"Hey, Dammy. We're ready to go" Katherine said , entering the suite as soon as Damon opened. "Oh you were totally doing it, weren't you?" she looked at Elena and smirked. The brunette tried to smooth her dress, but her lipstick was all over her face.

"Too much time to make up for it, Kat, too much time. I never thought about the lack of sex after the labor before I was there, there should be some therapy in those many labor classes preparing us to live without it for so long," she answered Katherine with a naughty smile before heading back to the bathroom to fix her make-up.

"Not everyone is insatiable like Damon," Katherine smirked and the two brunettes laughed away.

"Stop talking about my sex life with my sister and like I'm not here. It's just…. ew" Damon pulled a disgusted face and Katherine only smiled.

"Well, I'm on the second honey moon of my life, sorry if all I can think and talk about is sex," Katherine shrugged the moment Stefan also entered the hotel bedroom.

"I don't know what's worse, sharing our sex life with my sister or letting her share about hers and my brother's. I think I'm going to throw up," Damon said dramatically.

"I don't know what the subject is, but I definitely don't want to know about Damon and Elena's sex life," Stefan grimaced. "The nannies are already with the kids," he informed Katherine.

"I'm going to call Jenna to check on Emma," Elena said remembering what she was planning to do before she got lost in her husband's sex appeal for the third time that day.

"I still don't believe you left Emma there," Katherine offered.

"I still don't believe it's been two days since I saw my princess," Elena said and she actually had to control her tears. She missed her little baby, but she felt safer leaving Emma with her aunt instead of hiring nannies like Katherine did with the kids.

"You'll live," the older woman rolled her eyes.

"Says the woman who brings her four kids on her honeymoon," Damon quipped.

"It's Vegas, Damon. They deserve it, and why do you think they have their own suite with two nannies? I can assure you mommy and daddy had plenty of quality time in the last couple of days. A lot of quality I'd say," Katherine completed, looking at Stefan with desire written all over her face.

"I've had more mental pictures tonight than a man can handle, I'm out of here," Damon led his wife outside the bedroom.

"Just when I was about to suggest a foursome?" Kat yelled through the hallway and Elena felt her face burning. "Can you lend us your bed?" she completed while the couple waited for the elevator.

"Stefan, get your horny wife out of my bedroom, now," Damon yelled back, but instead of doing as his older brother suggested, Stefan pulled Katherine inside the hotel bedroom, hitting the door closed behind her.

"We're totally asking those sheets to be changed while we're out, don't let me forget to call the hotel," Damon said and Elena only chuckled.

* * *

"We should totally enjoy the night now," Katherine suggested as they entered the casino room after being in one of the many convention rooms promoting the movie along with Matt Bomer, who played Ian in the movie.

"I follow your lead, Kat," Elena joined arms with Katherine, while Damon talked to Matt and some other cast members.

"Catch me if you can, husband," Elena whispered at Damon's ear, winking before leaving with his sister-in-law.

The night had been a blast. They had fun like everyone was supposed to have in Vegas, without kids around. They were making up for the almost three months without any sex since Elena gave birth, but truth to be told they were happy to have only another couple of nights before finally going back to Emma.

* * *

"Ohhhh," Elena moaned as Damon rocked their bodies together. "I'm coming Baby, there, there, ohhhhhhhh," she barely voiced as Damon finally hit the spot that always drove her crazy.

"Come for me Kitten, come for me," his voice was also cracking. They were already ready to receive their guests, but as Damon entered their master suite just coming from their daughter's bedroom after having her dressed for her first birthday, the sight in front of him was more than he could resist. Much to his surprise he found Elena changing her underwear, and he couldn't stop himself. She definitely didn't ask him to. That was barely five minutes ago and they just hoped Emma was still too distracted with the first gifts they had given to her in the morning because they didn't want to hurt their daughter's innocent eyes with all the action they were up to.

"Ahhhhhhh," was Elena last moan before she finally came, followed closely by her husband.

"Mommy?" they heard from the baby monitor they still had in her bedroom.

"Compose yourself, Damon, your daughter ought not see you in this condition," she panted, as she smoothed her dress, and started to look for her underwear again. Couldn't her husband be any less hot and not so good doing the deed? She couldn't say no to him. It was bigger than her… literally.

"I'm coming Princess, Mommy is just being her usual neurotic self," he chuckled looking at this pregnant wife, as he fixed his pants zipper and belt.

"Neurotic huh?" Elena looked at him, as he reached the door.

"A lot, but still the woman I love more than anything," he winked, and headed towards Emma's bedroom. Good thing their girl didn't walk that fast yet otherwise they'd be in real trouble.

Damon was yet to step foot inside the girl's room when the doorbell rang.

"I've got the baby, Kitten, you get the door and make sure you're presentable," Damon yelled, as he crouched in front of his daughter who was playing with her brand new giant doll.

"Oh Damon Alessandro Salvatore, you're so not having it for another month!" she quipped, as she passed by Emma's room, still fixing the panties under her dress.

"As if you could resist me, Honey," he smirked, taking the girl in his arms to bring her to the backyard where the party would take place.

* * *

"Everything looks beautiful Elena," Katherine offered as Elena sat at the Salvatore's table with Emma in her arms.

"Gapa, gapa," the little girl voice when she saw Giuseppe approaching the table.

"Hey, Little angel, being as bad to mommy and daddy as grandpa taught you?" Giuseppe smiled to the baby who laughed back naughtily.

"So you're to blame, Grandpa? Let me tell Damon about it," Elena offered a warm smile to her father-in-law. Things were still strained between the two Salvatore men, but Elena grew to care about the Italian. She knew she should hate him for all the pain he brought to her husband in the past, but he was a great grandfather to Emma and the only grandparent her daughter would ever really have. Giuseppe was living in the Hamptons too and she took Emma to visit her grandfather at least once a week, while Damon took care of anything that required him to leave the house.

"No need to tell me, I heard it perfectly," Damon approached the table, kissing his wife's cheek, before acknowledging Giuseppe.

"Father," he said without any emotion. It'd been months since they saw each other, and that was perfect for Damon, but he knew he couldn't prohibit Giuseppe from coming to Emma's first birthday. As inexplicable the reason was to him, his daughter loved her grandfather.

"Nice job with the girl, Damon. She's absolutely gorgeous and although she didn't look a lot like you when she was born she's just your spitting image now," Giuseppe offered, but the only thing he heard from his son was a 'thank you', before offering a weak excuse to leave.

"We should take the family pictures now, Emma is already agitated and she wants to play with her cousins and I'm sure her pretty dress won't look that much pretty once she hits the floor with them," Elena suggested following her husband.

"Yeah, let's get done with it," he said under his breath and she knew he was angry.

"I know you don't like him here, Damon," she tried to talk to him, but he cut her off.

"No, I get it, Elena. Emma likes him and he's actually there for her. I just don't want to be around him and have him destroy yet another great thing in my life. This is our daughter's first birthday and I won't have anyone spoil it for us," he said and she felt him getting angrier and angrier.

"Let's just go somewhere before we take the pictures. Emma is with Giuseppe now," Elena suggested taking his hand in hers before heading to the other side of their huge backyard.

They finally reached the spot where they first made love and sitting on the sand, Elena patted the spot by her side for him to join her.

"You're the best father Emma could ever ask for, I'm so proud of you and I love you so much," she said caressing his hair.

"If he ever hurts her, I'll kill him, I won't think twice about it," he said still angry, although her touch was undoing him little by little.

"He learned from his mistakes, and I know he'll never make up for what he did to you, and that's why you're so great. You deal with him so Emma can have a grandfather, she'll thank you when she gets older and understands it," Elena continued stroking her husband's hair while she spoke.

"That's because I have you, you're my rock, Elena, you're my inspiration, my partner, my best friend. With you by my side I can even face him without feeling like breaking his nose," Damon said, turning to kiss her softly in the lips.

"You can always count on me, Baby," she offered, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"Damon!" Elena's scream filled their two-story house, and he really thought his wife used a microphone at the moment.

"Coming, Kitten" he answered as loudly from downstairs with a smile on his face. But the moment he entered their room, he was weak on his knees as he saw Elena leaning both of her hands firmly against the dresser.

"It's time" she mumbled, as she saw him.

"Time is not supposed to come for another five weeks!" he panicked seeing the pool of liquid around her feet.

"We can't call Rebekah. We don't know if he will need any kind of life support," he said nervously.

"We are two hours from The Presbyterian. I'll call Dr. Karev on the way," she offered, and then grimaced as another contraction hit her, leading her to sit at the foot of their bed.

"Move Damon!" she cried again, annoyed by how he didn't budge to do what she said.

"But what about Emma, Sofia and Brooklyn? I was on my way to get them. School's time is over in a few minutes" his voice showed all his fear and desperation. They never did the traditional birth thing. Just like Emma's; Sofia's, Brooklyn, Claire and Julia's births were all in the water, and even the twins were born on their expected due dates.

"Giuseppe, it's me, I'm going to drop Claire and Julia off in five minutes, can you get Emma, Sofia and Brooklyn at school for me? " her voice was sweet and soft as she talked to her father-in-law, as if nothing was happening while Damon seemed to finally wake up from his trance and go to the twins' bedroom to get their bag and fill it with Noah's stuff. They were yet to buy a few things to their baby-boy and the maternity bag was one of those. The fourteen months old twins were sleeping quietly despite their mother's previous yelling. Damon couldn't help, but stop in front of his youngest girls' cribs and fall in love all over again. But the moment was soon disturbed by Elena.

"Damon" she yelled even, louder and he could bet the scream met her latest contraction.

"This is your fault!" she kept her tone loud, as he entered the bedroom again.

"Are you really going to be that pregnant woman, Kitten? After four births I thought you were okay with me making babies with you," he finally seemed to relax. They had been through four uneventful labors in the past six years, and he was slowly realizing that once the water broke it was quick, and he just hoped their boy would be as healthy as his older sisters had been.

"No! This has nothing to do with you putting that dick of yours in middle of my legs. It has to do with your late night talks to Noah" she was enraged as he helped her to stand up from the bed, and let her lean on his side. "Daddy can't wait to see you. Daddy can't wait to meet his Buddy, there is too much progesterone in this house. I can't wait to have another man in the house. You'll love everything mommy and daddy have prepared for you, Buddy. You'll love your bedroom, it has cars and dinosaurs all over it, but the best part is the girls, there are some really hot chicks in your sister's school," she made a coy voice as she imitated him, but still there was reprehension in her voice "Of course he's already a manwhore even in my womb, he can't deny the genes, can he? It's your fault that he now can't wait to see the freaking hot chicks waiting for him," she slapped his chest now, and he only smirked the most quietly possible. This newly in-labor-Elena was just hilarious.

"I know Honey, so now how about you go to the car while I take the girls? As I suppose we're leaving them with Giuseppe and that he's picking up Emma , Brooklyn and Sofia at school. I'll try not to wake the girls while taking them to their car seats, because you know how nice they are when we interrupt their naps," Damon suggested as he helped her walk. While Damon got their boy's bag ready, Elena splashed her legs as quick as she could and changed into another summer dress.

"Also your fault. You spoil those girls rotten. I can only imagine what come of this little brat that is knocking out my bladder now" she mumbled, as they passed by their daughter's bedroom and Elena stopped to take a look at them. They were sleeping like angels.

"I love you too, Honey" he chuckled, and helped her to walk out of the house.

"He's beautiful" Damon murmured, as they watched their son sleeping in the NICU crib.

"Another baby to look just like you," Elena sighed, but the smile on her face showed that she had no problem with all their six children looking like Damon and having nothing from her.

"Brook has your hair and Emma has your nose" he hugged his wife from behind.

"But they're still your spitting image. I thought maybe our little boy would look like me, but he's just a mini-Damon, just like the girls. If even the girls look like you, why wouldn't our boy?" she pouted, and he chuckled before moving to kiss her cheek softly "That's because God loves me. What was I supposed to do having five girls looking as beautiful as Elena Salvatore?"

"But what am I supposed to do with a mini-Damon? I'm not sure I can cope with the girls making lines outside our house," she turned around in his arms to face him.

"If he's anything like me, trust me, our house is not where the line will be formed," he smirked and she hit him on the arm.

"God help me, I won't raise a manwhore," she smiled at him, before turning to see their son again.

"Keep the faith, Baby," he smirked once again, but also moved his eyes to their boy.

After spending only a week in the hospital, Noah was finally sleeping in the basinet by their bed. The couple seemed to be mesmerized by their boy, and they couldn't stop drooling over him, whilst always trying to be caring and giving attention to the girls. The girls, especially the older ones, were very jealous of them finally having a boy.

"Let's move to the bed before we wake him up. They say if someone keeps looking at you while you sleep, you just wake up," Elena suggested.

They lay in their bed, and even after six years, she still snuggled into his chest looking for her spot, although she didn't need to snuggle anymore. She just enjoyed the feeling of stroking her head on his chest and feeling his heart beating against her skin.

"I love you, Kitten," he said because he couldn't not say it to the woman in his arms. It seemed like he loved her more after those many years. One could think it was because of their kids, especially now that she finally gave him a son as well, but that wasn't the reason. Elena was the love of his life, the woman he was made for, the one.

"I love you too, Dammy," she whispered before quietly falling asleep against his body.

* * *

_AN: I'd really want to thank all my loyal readers and reviewers for joining me in this journey. It's been great._

_Also I want to give a big thank you to Avecia, my lovely, my dearest, my amazing, my awesome friend, who happens to beta some chapters for me. I love you, hun._

_I hope you enjoyed it and I expect some reviews to make me happy._

_Happy 2012 and I think I can already talk about the kiss, can't I? By now I think every online fan even if not in the US already watched it._

_Squeeeeee_

_xoxo_

_Babi_


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